BASILDON Council’s leader has called for an end to Essex County Council’s influence to remove “outdated attitudes and structures” and boost the town by £160million.  

Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader, is demanding the borough becomes a unitary authority – the same as Southend Council – and be almost entirely separate from Essex County Council.

Mr Callaghan said this would stop “sluggish bureaucracy” and prevent “too much of Basildon’s cash and energy leaving the borough.”  It comes after bosses from Essex County Council, Thurrock Council, Southend Council, and a number of other councils across Essex wrote to the Government to express an interest in discussing a devolution deal.

Mr Callaghan says the devolution deal he wants would allow Basildon Council to keep more than £160million in council tax.

He said: “When you dig beneath the flowery language of three Essex council leaders about devolution, you get very little sense they’re ready and willing to make the changes we need.

“People reading about devolution in Essex need to know that it could massively improve their lives, their prospects and their children’s aspirations. It should be about journeys getting easier, the infrastructure leading to more and better homes and health landing quicker, communities skilling up for the jobs of the future.

“But there’s a risk – a big one – that the current plans will lead to more of the same - a sluggish bureaucracy, too much of Basildon’s cash and energy leaving the borough.”

“The ambitions set out by councillors Bentley, Cowan and Kent are laudable and I share them, but unless we set aside outdated attitudes and structures and embrace meaningful change, we will simply not achieve those ambitions.”

In a joint statement, Kevin Bentley, leader of Essex County Council, John Kent, leader of Thurrock Council, and Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council, said: “Essex County Council,  Southend City Council, Thurrock Council and the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, backed by most of the district, city and borough councils across greater Essex, have formally submitted an expression of interest to the Government to discuss a devolution deal.

 “Giving residents and businesses the power to grow Essex’s economy through devolution can of course only benefit the wider national economy. It will also help address some of the greatest challenges we face, such as productivity.”