Brentwood Liberal Democrats Opposition to the proposed Combined South Essex Authority
19 Jul 2020
If you oppose the idea that Brentwood Borough Council is subsumed into a new merged South Essex authority please sign our petition.
The entire structure of Local Government is under review. Recently the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced the publication of a white paper on devolution of power across the country. Linked to this review is a proposal that South Essex Councils (including Brentwood) breakaway and form a combined authority.
Do Brentwood residents want to be run by Basildon or Thurrock? We think not. We would become the junior partner in an organisations that dominates us and rides roughshod over our planning laws and could destroy our green belt.
We Liberal Democrats councillors will oppose this and fight against any proposals to merge our Borough. We need residents to contact their Conservative councillors to ensure they understand and support your views.
Also please sign our petition to make your views known and make others aware that the Brentwood Liberal Democrats will work to fight this proposal.
Whilst being pushed locally by Conservative Councillors, this proposal doesn't even have the support of Essex MP's. On July 9th in the House of Commons David Amess, MP for Southend West, supported by Mark Francois MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, spoke with great passion against the proposals to merge Essex Borough Councils.David Amess concluded by saying "The proposals were a disgrace not giving any details of where it would be run from and by whom." He considered it another unnecessary layer of bureaucracy not supported by the majority of back bench councillors across the Boroughs.