Havering Borough and Essex Devolution

Jim McMahon Excerpts

Wednesday 7th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Local Government and English Devolution (Jim McMahon)]

I am grateful to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) for securing this important debate and raising the question of Havering borough’s place in relation to devolution in Essex. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for championing his area and for the very clear passion that he has for the place he represents. One thing that is special about Parliament is that connection and the pride with which Members speak about the place they live in and represent, and I absolutely heard that in every canter through the historic county of Essex and just how rooted it is in that kind of county, ceremonial, historic identity. I accept that completely.

Although our reorganisation in Greater Manchester was a bit later, in 1974, many of us still feel that we are Lancashire to our heart, even though we are part of the Greater Manchester combined authority, and I think it is possible to be proud of both. We are proud in the way that we look to Manchester and the success of that city region, but proud too of our historical roots in Lancashire, so I think the two are possible.

The hon. Gentleman might find it useful to know that one of the first things that we did upon coming into government was change the way the county flags are flown. For a very long time, the Department that I represent held all the historic county flags for England in the Department, and whenever the historic county day came up through the course of the year that flag would be flown from Marsham Street, at what I would say is a very average office block. I did not think that that quite gave status to the historic counties, and it did not give the opportunity for Members of Parliament and visitors to see the county flags. They have been transferred to Parliament, to the Speaker’s Office. In addition to Counties Week, 21 to 27 July, when all the county flags of England are in Parliament Square, the county flags will be flown in New Palace Yard on the day of each county. I think that is the appropriate place and I hope Members will search out their flag on that day. Identity and belonging is really important.

As hon. Members will be aware, the Government have made it a clear mission to extend devolution to all corners of England, while fixing the foundations of local government. Our work with councils across Greater Essex demonstrates the strength of that ambition, as we endeavour to establish a new county combined authority for the area while delivering local government reorganisation.

The Government recently conducted a public consultation on our proposals to establish a mayoral combined county authority across Essex county council, Thurrock council and Southend-on-Sea city council, as part of the devolution priority programme. Responses to the consultation are currently being assessed and I will shortly make a decision on whether to proceed with the necessary legislation, subject to further consent from the councils involved. The three existing council areas firmly form the currently proposed footprint for the future devolution of Greater Essex, as the consultation was conducted on that basis.

The three councils, along with the district and borough councils across Essex, were also invited in February to submit proposals for a new unitary structure for the county. As requested, they submitted an interim plan in March and we provided feedback to support the development of final proposals, which are now due in September. It is for the local councils to develop those proposals and for the Government to assess them on that basis. It is currently not envisaged that the boundaries of Greater London will be changed, or that the proposed Greater Essex mayoral combined county authority will be expanded, although the latter would be possible at a later date should it be locally desired and should statutory tests be met.

As for changing the boundaries of the councils themselves across Greater Essex, that will be for the councils to propose if they wish, as they develop and submit proposals to the Government for unitary local government in that area. We remain open to discussions with any council across England on its vision for its region, and we continue to encourage discussions across councils and areas as we deliver on our ambitious agenda for local government.

I hope that this brief and by no means exhaustive summary of our plans for Greater Essex devolution and local government reorganisation has provided helpful context to the hon. Member for Romford. I understand completely his point about Havering being anchored in Greater London, but I hope he takes some reassurance that the guidance we sent out throughout the process has anchored two things that he touched on in his speech.

First, the administrative boundaries being drawn are about efficiency and the importance of having a single tier of local government that people can hold to account and that is sustainable in the future. But it is in no way intended to cut across the identities that people feel and are proud of. No council should try to cut across the historic identity that local areas feel.

Secondly, every council, regardless of size or where it is in England, should always root itself in local communities and local neighbourhoods. The days of councils being disconnected and removed from local communities are long gone, and that empowers local councillors to be the frontline community convenors that they stood for election to be.

Question put and agreed to.