HARLOW Council is set to be abolished and re-organised into a new West Essex Unitary Authority.

Harlow will be joined by Epping Forest District Council and Uttlesford District Council.

This may give Harlow and its two partners powers such as Highways (yes..potholes), education, adult social care to name just three.

The timetable is as follows:

Harlow District Council Elections in May 2026

There is scheduled to be elections for the West Essex Council in May 2027 with the council going live in April 2028.

There is much more to come on this.

The decision was announced by the secretary of state for communities and local government, Steve Reed.

Mr Reed said

This Government is undertaking the biggest reform of local government in a generation, ending the two-tier system and replacing it with new single-tier unitary councils. This agenda is key to this government’s vision of local councils that deliver good services for residents and are equipped to drive economic growth, but can empower their communities.

As a government, our number one ambition is growing the economy and putting more money in the pockets of working people. Driving economic growth means acknowledging that cities, towns, and villages don’t all perform the same roles in the national economy – they specialise in what they’re best at. Public service demand also isn’t the same across the country. Some areas have high levels of homelessness and temporary accommodation, others have high need for adult social care due to an older population. Local leaders, both in councils and mayoralties, need to be able to focus on the specific needs of their area.

Reorganisation presents a once-in-a-generation chance to make sure our councils match the modern realities of our places, making sure outdated boundaries are not constraining growth, particularly in our towns and cities. In too many places, council boundaries are misaligned with the needs of their local communities and how those communities live their lives. In Ipswich, for example, the boundaries have remained largely unchanged since the middle of the 19th century, even as population has grown. These outdated and misaligned structures slow down decisions, stifle housing growth, and fragment public service delivery.

This is particularly important for key government priorities on housebuilding, like our target of building 1.5 million homes in England this Parliament. The housing needs of local communities are best met by councils who are closely connected to their communities and understand a place’s local identity. This connection is crucial in ensuring that local government can boost economic growth and design public services that respond to local residents.

Reorganisation must also respect local identity, and the distinctive nature of the rural, urban and coastal communities across our country. We want to see councils that are connected to their local residents and communities; councils that mean something to the people they serve.

DECISIONS

I am pleased to announce today the next step in our vital reforms to reorganise local government. On 5 February 2025, councils in the 21 areas of England that still have two-tier local government and neighbouring small unitary authorities were invited to submit proposals for unitarisation.

We invited six areas to put forward proposals by 26 September 2025 – East Sussex and Brighton and Hove; Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock; Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton; Norfolk; Suffolk; and West Sussex.

My department received 17 proposals in total across the areas. I would like to thank councillors and officers in these areas for their hard work. As the House was informed on 19 November, all the proposals received were taken to consultation, which closed on 11 January 2026. We have now considered each proposal carefully against the criteria set out in the invitation letter of 5 February 2025, alongside the responses to the consultation, all representations and all other relevant information to assess the proposals. In summary, these criteria are:

whether each proposal achieves for the whole of the area concerned the establishment of a single tier of local government;
whether the councils are the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks;
whether the unitary structures prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens;
whether councils in the area have sought to work together to come to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views;
whether new unitary structures support devolution arrangements;
whether new unitary structures enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment.
Decisions on each area have been made on a case-by-case basis, on its own merits, respecting the differences of local circumstances and local people’s views. In two areas, I have not yet made a decision, and will make a decision as soon as practicable, so reorganisation can be completed on the planned timeline.

Today, I have written to the Leaders of councils setting out decisions and/or next steps for all six areas. I have decided to implement the following proposals, subject to Parliamentary approval, in these areas:

Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock: 5 unitary proposal, creating the councils referred to in the proposals as:

West Essex Council (current local government areas of Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford)
North East Essex Council (current local government areas of Braintree, Colchester and Tendring)
Mid Essex Council (current local government areas of Brentwood, Chelmsford and Maldon)
South West Essex Council (current local government areas of Basildon and Thurrock)
South East Essex Council (current local government areas of Castle Point, Rochford and Southend-on-Sea).

Further information on the decisions taken in these areas can be found in the letters to council leaders in the areas, which will be published on gov.uk later today. A summary of the responses to the consultations for proposals in these areas will also be published today.

I am pleased to be able to confirm how the £63m in transition funding announced in February will be allocated – making this the first government to provide funding for the reorganisation process. We will provide at least £900,000 for each new unitary authority to help establish effective services and governance arrangements, ensuring funding is provided fairly, consistently, and as quickly as possible. This will mean the Essex invitation area receives £4.5m for five new unitary councils; the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton invitation area receives £3.6m for four new unitary councils; the Norfolk invitation area receives £2.7m for three new unitary councils; and the Suffolk invitation area receives £2.7m for three new unitary councils. We will also provide the Surrey invitation area with £1.8m for two new unitary councils. This approach reflects the differing levels of complexity involved across areas and allows for a small central reserve to be used later for targeted support if needed. Funding will be issued through established, flexible grant mechanisms and my officials will be in touch with councils to confirm next steps.

NEXT STEPS

Delivering reorganisation for the benefit of all residents is a shared endeavour, and ongoing collaboration will be vital to ensure that these reforms are implemented with the interests of residents at their heart.

We remain committed to the timetable we have set out previously, with elections to the new unitary councils taking place in May 2027, ahead of them going live and delivering services in April 2028.

For the other 14 areas going through local government reorganisation, I would like to emphasise that the decisions taken here, and previously in Surrey, do not set any precedent. Decisions will be taken individually, based on the published criteria referred to above, the merits of each proposal we receive, and the local context.

I will deposit in the House library copies of the letter and documents I have referred to, which are also being published on gov.uk today.