Council joins legal action against the government

The Conservative leader of Harlow Council has announced it will be taking legal action against the government over radical reforms to local authorities in Essex.

Essex County Council is seeking a judicial review in the High Court over the decision to replace the 15 authorities in Essex with five all-purpose unitary councils.

Dan Swords said the timetable for local government reform (LGR) was "not deliverable" and that his local authority would join as an interested party and bring its own arguments.

The Labour administration in Westminster has said LGR "will improve public services and boost regional growth to put more money in people's pockets".

The new councils are due to take control of local services in 2028.

Announcing the move in a video on Facebook, Swords said LGR threatened the redevelopment ongoing in Harlow town centre.

"The government's timetable and process are simply not deliverable," he said.

"We've reached a clear conclusion. This process is deeply flawed, it is rushed, it lacks proper evidence and it risks creating huge disruption for local communities.

"And if it goes wrong it won't be the government that pays the price, it will be Harlow."

It would cost the town tens of millions on bureaucracy and restructuring, he added.

Last year, Swords backed the five-council model over the alternative options of either three or four councils for the 1.9 million people in Essex.

But, speaking in September, he did say he still had "major concerns".

The new councils would be responsible for running all local services such as road maintenance, social care and bin collections. It would end the two tier structure of county councils and lower-tier district authorities.

The Reform UK leader at Essex County Council, Peter Harris, has described the five-council plan as "costly, ill-judged proposals that risk widening the gap between residents and their representatives".

Other councils could follow Harlow in joining the legal action. Conservative-led Basildon Council is likely to join as an interested party.

Thurrock Council has already been named as an interested party seeking the judicial review.

The Reform leader at Thurrock, Richard Bingley, told the BBC "we are monitoring the case to see if we need to be actively involved".

He claimed the proposed LGR would take £5m-6m away from Thurrock's public services and was opposed by Thurrock councillors.

A judicial review has not been granted yet nor a date set. The government has been approached for comment.

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