21/04/2026
Devolution will greatly affect health. Thanks for speaking up James, a long time activist for SSNHS
We can’t talk about these Local Elections without talking about Local Government Reorganisation.
I’m angry that Southend’s being pushed into a huge change to local democracy that nobody here actually voted for. And it’s more consequential than you may think.
The Labour Government set this process in motion through its devolution plans, and Southend’s Labour-run council agreed to be one of the first in England to take part in it. The result is that Southend-on-Sea City Council will be replaced by a new ‘South East Essex Council’ merging Southend, Castle Point, and Rochford districts from April 2028.
Services, taxation, and democracy will be centralised to this new less-accountable mega council; and local residents will have less say in how local decisions are made. People are perfectly entitled to be frustrated by that. I know I am. But it’s happening, and that means we’ve got to be serious about what comes next. It’s going to affect the day-to-day services people rely on, including waste collection, planning, highways, adult social care, education, housing, and more.
That’s why I don’t think this May is just another routine local election. The people elected now will have a say in how Southend goes through the biggest change to local government in a generation. And at a moment like this, it really does matter who gets elected.
For me, voters should be looking very carefully at who’s asking for their support. Do they really understand how local government works? How many City Council and Scrutiny meetings have they attended, submitted questions to, and challenged? Can they point to a proper local manifesto, or a serious plan for what they’d do if elected? If they can’t, then they’re not who Southend needs at a time like this.
I’m also wary that this reorganisation is being sold as an efficiency exercise, but may end up being a way of sneaking in cuts to essential services by stealth. Big questions like what will happen to important civic assets like libraries and family centres remain unaddressed. What local democracy will look like under this new setup? Still uncertain.
That’s why Southend needs councillors who’ll pay attention, ask difficult questions, and make sure the city’s interests don’t get pushed aside.
That’s one reason I think Green voices matter here. Green councillors in Southend raised concerns early on about the direction this was heading in, and argued for local accountability, proper scrutiny, and a stronger focus on community need. That’s the wider Green approach too. We want local government to do the job it’s supposed to do: deliver the services residents expect, and ensure residents are part of that decision making.
I’m frustrated that this reorganisation is happening. But if it is happening, then Southend needs credible, experienced people with a real footing in the community fighting for the best for our area. And I do think a few more Green councillors in the room would help keep this transition focused on Southend and the people who live here.
