Councils agree to pursue devolution and new mayor

A new Greater Essex Combined Authority would work in tandem with the county, unitary and district councils, including Colchester

A group of Essex council leaders and executives have agreed to put together devolution proposals to government.

The leader of the county council, Conservative Kevin Bentley, gave a presentation at a private meeting on how a Greater Essex Combined Authority might look.

The plan would include a directly elected mayor.

It proposes increasing local taxes and business rates in order to fund new infrastructure.

Essex County Council leader Kevin Bentley gave a presentation to other leaders and executives

English regions including the North East, York and North Yorkshire, East Midlands and Norfolk and Suffolk are already in the process of setting up new combined authorities.

Under the Essex plan, seen by the BBC, it stated a "devolution deal will unlock new monies for Greater Essex as well as provide the opportunity to influence" spending more directly.

It would operate alongside the county and district councils, and the unitary authorities of Southend and Thurrock, serving a population of 1.9 million.

A £1bn investment fund was expected over a 30-year period under the proposed set up.

Some council leaders were sceptical of how much extra money would be raised, with one pointing out it equated to £17 extra per head of population each year.

The report quoted claims that an additional 50,000 jobs could be created and £5bn of economic output added as a result of a deal.

It hoped to form a new adult education budget, worth up to £84m, and a greater say over rail and bus franchises.

Council officials planned to meet again in January and begin discussions with government in March.

They aimed to form the new combined authority and elected mayor's office by May 2025.

One councillor pointed out the proposed economic boost to Greater Essex, including in Southend-on-Sea, would equate to £17 per person each year