Establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority across Essex, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea

Topic of this consultation:

This consultation seeks views on a proposal to form a Mayoral Combined County Authority for the local government areas of Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council (referred to as Greater Essex in this consultation).

In December 2024, the government published the English Devolution White Paper. This sets out plans to move power out of Westminster and back to local communities, ensuring that every part of England is covered by devolution. The local council leaders from Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council have since written to government expressing their interest in taking forward devolution within their area through the establishment of a Mayoral Combined County Authority, with the first election for a Mayor taking place in May 2026. Before taking a decision on whether to proceed with the making of the necessary legislation, the government is seeking views from interested parties, including those who live and work in the area.

Scope of this consultation:

This consultation seeks views, particularly from interested parties, including those who live and work across Greater Essex on the effect of establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority in the area. It includes questions on the proposed geography and how the Combined County Authority will make decisions, together with questions on the effects of working across this geography through a Mayoral Combined County Authority.

In some parts of the country, there may be proposals for reorganisation of existing councils. This is a separate process and is not covered by this consultation. Further information on this is set out in this document.

Geographical scope:

These proposals only have direct effect within the geographical area covered by the local councils listed above.

Basic information

Body/bodies responsible for the consultation:

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Duration:

This consultation will last until 13 April 2025 at 23:59.

How to respond:

We encourage everyone to use this opportunity to share your opinions on the proposal for the establishment of a Mayoral Combined County Authority across this area.

The easiest way for you to respond and engage in the consultation is by completing the online form. Once you are on the website, you will be guided through the specific questions on which we are seeking views.

If you are unable to provide your views through the online form, you can alternatively email or post your response to the questions. Details on how to do this are set out in Annex B. Please follow the format of the questions as set out in Annex B. For email and postal responses, please make clear which area consultation you are responding to (there are a number of live consultations on English devolution). This consultation is about a proposal to form a Mayoral Combined County Authority for the local government areas of Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council.

  1. Background

1.1 Devolution context

Through devolution, areas and their local leaders receive more powers, functions and funding to take decisions about local priorities. Currently, over 34 million people – around 61% of the population of England – are covered by a devolution arrangement. However, England remains one of the most centralised countries in the developed world, meaning decisions are too often taken by central government rather than by local leaders.

In December 2024, the government published the English Devolution White Paper, which set out a new Devolution Framework for English devolution which will move power out of Westminster and into the hands of those who know their area best. The White Paper sets out how further devolution to local areas within England can help deliver economic growth and more joined-up delivery of public services, and increase trust in politics.

Devolution can achieve this through enabling more decisions to be taken at a more local level, thereby making it easier to tailor decisions to local needs and priorities; enabling more coordinated action in a place; giving communities a greater say in decisions that affect them; and driving innovation in policy and delivery.

The government’s ultimate ambition on devolution is universal coverage across England, with a strong preference for every area to have a Mayor, so that every part of the country can unlock the benefits and opportunities that devolution brings.

1.2 Introduction to Combined County Authorities and Mayors

Combined County Authorities are organisations made up of a group of councils who come together over larger areas that people recognise and work in. They allow councils to work together in a structured way and take decisions over a wider area footprint, with powers and responsibilities being held by that Combined County Authority. Combined County Authorities do not replace the councils in your area – and services such as social care, libraries and education that are provided by the council continue to be provided by the council.

A Combined County Authority can be led by a directly elected Mayor. This is then known as a Mayoral Combined County Authority. The government is supportive of places having Mayors because they have a mandate to take big decisions affecting more people, they have convening power to tackle shared problems, and they are accountable to the local electorate for the decisions they take. Mayors in other parts of the country have become vital local leaders, delivering on the promise of change in their area to drive growth, more joined-up delivery, and earning trust.

1.3 The Devolution Priority Programme

Many parts of the country (such as Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, the East Midlands, York and North Yorkshire, and the West of England) now have Mayoral Combined Authorities or Mayoral Combined County Authorities. London also has a directly elected Mayor and the Greater London Authority. These institutions have received funding, powers and functions in areas like skills, transport, and housing. However, many parts of the country do not yet have devolution arrangements like this.

In the English Devolution White Paper, the government set out the ambition of delivering devolution to more parts of England, aiming to establish new Combined Authorities or Combined County Authorities that would have Mayors elected in May 2026.

To achieve this, the government has established the Devolution Priority Programme, to provide a fast-track to creating Mayoral Combined Authorities or Mayoral Combined County Authorities for areas ready to come together over sensible geographies which meet the criteria set out in the White Paper. These places will receive the full backing of government to deliver to these ambitious timescales.

In July 2024, the government invited areas currently without devolution arrangements to put forward proposals for how they would like to take on devolution in their area. Following the publication of the White Paper, these areas had the opportunity to seek to join the Devolution Priority Programme. The government received positive responses from a number of different places, and local council leaders of Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council applied to join the Devolution Priority Programme to establish a Mayoral Combined County Authority over the geography of those local councils.

Following an assessment of geography and readiness, the government announced that Greater Essex will be part of the Devolution Priority Programme, along with the five other areas listed below:

• Cumbria (Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council);
• Cheshire and Warrington (Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Warrington Borough Council);
• Hampshire and the Solent (Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Isle of Wight Council, Southampton City Council);
• Norfolk and Suffolk (Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council); and
• Sussex and Brighton (East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council).

1.4 Implementing devolution in Greater Essex

There is a statutory process that has to be followed to establish a Combined County Authority. This includes a public consultation to seek local views and inform a final decision by government.

The government is minded to establish a Mayoral Combined County Authority for Greater Essex. It will take a decision on whether to proceed with the necessary implementing legislation after considering responses to this consultation and whether a series of statutory tests have been met. In particular, Ministers will need to decide:

• Whether they consider that the establishment of a Combined County Authority in the area is likely to improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of some or all of the people who live or work in the area;
• Whether establishing a Combined County Authority in the area is appropriate, having regard to the need to:
  • secure effective and convenient local government; and,
  • reflect the identities and interests of local communities.

Ministers will also consider all factors in the round when taking the decision on whether to proceed with the necessary implementing legislation, including an equalities impact assessment and an environmental principles policy statement.

If a decision is taken to proceed, and providing councils consent, the next stage is for ministers to make secondary legislation establishing the Combined County Authority and providing for the election of a Mayor. This legislation will also confer some transport and economic regeneration functions onto the Combined County Authority. This will allow the Combined County Authority to begin work on delivering local priorities from day one.

The Mayor for the area would then also represent the area on the Council of Nations and Regions, which includes the Prime Minister, the First Minister of Scotland, the First Minister of Wales, the First and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Mayors of Combined Authorities and Combined County Authorities of England. The Mayor would also represent the area on the Mayoral Council (which includes the Deputy Prime Minister and the Mayors of Combined Authorities and Combined County Authorities of England) to enable the area’s voice to be heard at a national level.

If the decision is taken not to proceed, then the Mayoral Combined County Authority would not be established to the timelines of the Devolution Priority Programme. This would mean that the area would not receive the full suite of powers, funding and functions as set out in Section 3 of this consultation, and the area would not be represented on the Council of Nations and Regions. The government will continue to work with local councils on the best devolution approach for their area.

The government will introduce an English Devolution Bill to Parliament in due course. The intention of that Bill is to automatically confer all the powers and functions in the Devolution Framework to the Mayoral Combined County Authority once it is established. Section 3 of this consultation outlines what these functions would be and explains the Devolution Framework.

If the Bill does not receive Royal Assent and its provisions do not come into force, the government intends to bring forward secondary legislation to confer the functions in the Devolution Framework to the Mayoral Combined County Authority.

2. Proposed Institution, Governance and Decision Making Arrangements

2.1     Name and geographic area

It is proposed that a Mayoral Combined County Authority is established over the local council areas of Essex County Council, Southend on Sea City Council and Thurrock Council. The government’s proposal is that the Combined County Authority would be formally known as the Greater Essex Combined County Authority.

2.2     Membership

Constituent councils

The councils of Essex County Council, Southend on Sea City Council and Thurrock Council would be the constituent councils of the proposed Combined County Authority. 
Essex County Council would appoint three representatives to be constituent members whilst Southend on Sea City and Thurrock Councils would each appoint two representatives to be constituent members. This means that there would be seven constituent council members in total. Constituent councils would each be able to appoint the same number of substitute members as they appoint constituent members to act in the absence of their constituent members.

The Mayor

The Combined County Authority would have a Mayor, directly elected by local government electors (which are those eligible to vote in local council elections who are on the electoral register) across the three constituent council areas. The first mayoral election would take place on 7 May 2026. Mayors are typically elected on 4-year terms.
The Mayor would be a constituent member of the Combined County Authority, and exercise the mayoral functions outlined in the Devolution Framework on behalf of the Combined County Authority. 

The Mayor would be required to appoint a deputy Mayor from among the constituent members to act in their absence or if the office of the Mayor is vacant.

The Mayor would be permitted to appoint a maximum of one political advisor

Non-constituent and associate members

Greater Essex Combined County Authority’s constituent members would be able to appoint a maximum of seven non-constituent and associate members to support the delivery of their work programme. Non-constituent members are representatives of an organisation; for example, a district council, local NHS trust, the Police and Crime Commissioner, or a local registered provider. Associate members are named individuals who can provide particular experience or expertise – for example, on active travel, or local businesses.

2.3     Role of district councils

Much of England has two tiers of local government – upper-tier county councils and lower-tier district councils – with responsibility for local services split between the two.

While all the councils in an area are constituent members of a Combined Authority, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 introduced Combined County Authorities consisting of upper tier local councils only.

District councils cannot be full constituent members of a Combined County Authority but can participate as non-constituent members and serve on committees (see section 2.5 on non-constituent members’ role in decision making).

2.4     Combined County Authority powers, functions and funding

The Combined County Authority and its Mayor would have some functions conferred onto them as part of the secondary legislation establishing the Combined County Authority as an institution. These functions would enable them to begin work on delivering local priorities from day one and are expected to include economic development and transport.

The English Devolution White Paper sets out the government’s ambitions for devolution. This includes the powers, functions and funding available to Combined County Authorities – a summary table is included at Annex A.

The collection of powers, functions and funding is known as the Devolution Framework. The powers, functions and funding of a Combined County Authority vary depending on its governance and maturity. The government’s intention would be for the Greater Essex Combined County Authority to have the powers, functions and funding set out at the mayoral level of the framework. These functions would give the Combined County Authority and the Mayor greater local control over areas such as transport, adult education and skills, and housing to enable improvements in local connectivity, educational outcomes, economic development, driving economic growth and improved social wellbeing.

The government intends to implement the Devolution Framework via the English Devolution Bill; the functions within it would then automatically be conferred onto any existing Combined County Authority if the Bill receives Royal Assent, and the provisions come into force.

2.5     Decision making at the Combined County Authority 

The Combined County Authority’s constituent members (the Mayor and seven constituent council members) would be the decision makers within the Combined County Authority. Constituent members would automatically have voting rights. Non-constituent members can be given voting rights at the discretion of the Combined County Authority; associate members cannot be given voting rights.

All members would have a single vote. The default voting arrangement for Combined County Authority decisions to be approved would be a simple majority in favour, including the Mayor (i.e. 5 out of 8).

No decisions can be made at a Combined County Authority meeting unless the Mayor (or deputy Mayor) and at least five constituent council members are present.

2.6     Oversight

To ensure effective scrutiny of decision making and audit of how resources are used, the Combined County Authority would have at least one Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and one Audit Committee, in line with the requirements of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023.

Further improvements to accountability and oversight are in development and are included in Section 5 of the English Devolution White Paper ahead of legislation being laid.

2.7     Remuneration

Greater Essex Combined County Authority would approve a scheme for the allowances for constituent members, following consideration of a report from an Independent Remuneration Panel. The Mayor can be paid an allowance as agreed by the constituent council members, also following consideration of a report from an Independent Remuneration Panel.

2.8     Local government reorganisation and its impacts (only for two tier areas)

Councils in your area have been invited to develop proposals for new unitary local government. This would replace the existing two tier system, where services are split between a county and district council, and bring these services together in unitary local government, creating opportunities for service transformation which can support improvements in delivery. The aim is to build empowered, simplified, resilient and sustainable local government for your area that will increase value for money for council taxpayers and enable more funding to be spent on local public services.

This process (known as “local government reorganisation”) is a separate process to the one in this consultation. On 5 February 2025, the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution invited all councils in your area to develop unitary proposals. All councils in your area have been invited to undertake wide engagement before submitting robust and evidenced unitary proposals to government by 26 September. The established assessment and decision making process will then be followed to determine which, if any, of the proposals submitted are to be implemented.

Further information is being made available at Local government reorganisation: Policy and programme updates - GOV.UK

This local government reorganisation process does not affect the potential establishment of this Combined County Authority or the Mayoral election in May 2026. In due course, if a proposal is implemented, any new unitary councils will become the constituent members of the Combined County Authority and, legally, it will become a Combined Authority. This change does not affect the functions/powers or funding available to the area. The governance and decision making arrangements within the Combined Authority will then be updated to reflect any changes needed.

Legislation has also been made to postpone local council elections from May 2025 to May 2026 in: Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council; Essex County Council and Thurrock Council; Hampshire County Council and the Isle of Wight Council; East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council. This will allow these councils to deliver both devolution and local government reorganisation to the most ambitious timeline, working toward the first election for the Mayors of the Combined County Authorities in May 2026.

3. What powers would be available

The English Devolution White Paper sets out the powers, functions and funding for all Combined County Authorities such as the one proposed in this consultation. This is known as the Devolution Framework. The framework is the floor, not the ceiling, of the government’s ambitions, which means it will be reviewed regularly to consider whether it can be deepened, with more powers being given to local areas that have a Combined County Authority with a Mayor.

The framework has three tiers – Foundation, Mayoral, and Established Mayoral. If the Mayoral Combined County Authority in this consultation was created, it would be set up at the ‘Mayoral’ tier. The institution could then progress in the future to the ‘Established Mayoral’ tier, subject to meeting certain eligibility criteria (see section 2.2.4 of the White Paper). This means that, at the Established Mayoral tier, it would be eligible to receive more powers and funding from central government.

The framework is to be implemented through the English Devolution Bill, subject to its passage through Parliament and receiving Royal Assent. A table summarising the devolution framework is provided in Annex A, and a more detailed summary of what powers, functions and funding the Combined County Authority would receive under that Bill is set out below. For full detail of the powers, functions and funding that the Combined County Authority would receive based on being in the Mayoral tier, please refer to Chapter 3 of the English Devolution White Paper.

3.1 Funding

The below sets out the types of funding available to Mayoral Combined County Authorities.

The Mayoral Combined County Authority would receive devolved funding from central government, including those relating to the following policies:

• Housing and regeneration.
• Local growth.
• Adult skills (except apprenticeships).
• Local transport.

This gives the Mayoral Combined County Authority control over how funding is spent, including to tailor how it is spent to meet local needs in the area. As with all government programmes, the precise programmes that will be devolved (and the amount of funding) will be determined through the Spending Review in June (which is central government’s process for setting budgets, which determines which government programmes exist and their funding amount).

However, Mayoral Combined Authorities that were in existence in the Spending Review period 2021-2024 received funding from central government, such as:

• Funding to support housing on brownfield sites in the area.
• Funding for local growth in the area.
• Devolved funding for skills, such as the Adult Skills Fund, which is used to fund education and training for adults aged 19 and above.
• Devolved funding for local transport, such as funding to support maintaining and improving the highways network and funding to support bus services and keep fares down.

In addition, the Mayoral Combined County Authority would receive a 30-year ‘Investment Fund’ from central government. The amount of this fund would be confirmed at the government’s Spending Review in June 2025. However, the parameters of it are:

• It is a flexible fund for local leaders to drive economic growth. The priorities for it are set locally through the Mayoral Combined County Authority – not by central government.
• It is long term, covering a period of 30 years. The intention of this is to give certainty when local leaders (through the Mayoral Combined County Authority) make decisions on investments.
• It is a mix of revenue spending (which can be spent on ‘day-to-day’ policies like adult skills) and capital spending (which is money spent on investment in policies like housing).

The Mayoral Combined County Authority would also receive capacity funding from central government to help set up the new organisation.

The Mayoral Combined County Authority would have the ability to introduce a mayoral precept on council tax should they choose to do so. This allows the authority to raise money to fund local priorities.

3.2 Transport and local infrastructure

The government believes that high quality transport infrastructure and services support growth and opportunity, and that bringing decisions about transport closer to people is key to improving the transport networks everyone relies on. The Combined County Authority would become the Local Transport Authority for its area, which means it is responsible for public transport services, like buses, instead of local authorities.

Buses and active travel

In many parts of England, bus services have been deregulated since the Transport Act 1985. This means services are run by private bus operators who set the routes, fares, and timetables.

As a Local Transport Authority, the Mayoral Combined County Authority would be empowered (but not required) to change this approach across the whole area in order to improve local bus services. They could decide to pursue:

• An Enhanced Partnership, under which Local Transport Authorities (like the Mayoral Combined County Authority have more powers to work with bus operators to set a vision for bus services across the whole area and a plan to help achieve these improvements.
• A franchised system, under which the Mayoral Combined County Authority awards contracts for buses in their area (or in specific routes), and these contracts can be used to determine things like routes, timetables, fares and branding. This is the model used in London and introduced recently in Greater Manchester.
• Publicly owned bus companies, which could work alongside either an Enhanced Partnership or a franchised bus system.

The powers for this are set out in the government’s Bus Services Bill and more information on the powers available to Local Transport Authorities (such as the Mayoral Combined County Authority) is set out in the overview of the Bus Services Bill.

The Combined County Authority would play an important role in decarbonising transport and reducing the environmental and health impacts of transport. The government would expect the Combined County Authority to develop plans to decarbonise and reduce air pollution from their local bus fleet, including how and when emissions reductions will be delivered.

Active travel (such as walking, wheeling, and cycling) delivers a range of benefits for people and communities. Active Travel England (which is a central government organisation sponsored by the Department for Transport) would support the Combined County Authority to increase capability and address skill gaps to ensure a consistent approach to safety and accessibility for all users, with a right to request capability assessments for their constituent authorities.

Rail

The government is seeking to put passengers and local communities back at the heart of railways and to protect their interests. The proposed Mayoral Combined County Authority would play an important role in this:

• The Mayor would have a statutory role (meaning a role set out in law) in governing, managing, planning, and developing the rail network. The intention is that the Mayor can use this role to embed the voice of their community in decisions on the rail network. Government will consult on this role ahead of the legislation required.
• If they meet transparent criteria, the Mayor would also be given the option for greater control over local rail stations. Rail stations are generally currently controlled either by central government, through a body known as Network Rail, or by train operating companies. Mayors will be given the option of greater control so they can capitalise on the opportunities in and around rail stations for local people, for economic growth, accessibility, and intermodal connectivity. For example, this might include regenerating the area around the rail station, working to join up different forms of transport, or building homes.
• Engagement with the Department for Transport on its national rail planning processes. This has been trialled with Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities already, and is intended to allow local ambitions to be better reflected in national policy.
• The government would work in close collaboration with the Mayoral Combined County Authority to deliver shared ambitions on ticketing. London has shown how ticketing systems that are integrated across different forms of transport can help to get more people onto public transport. The Department for Transport (through an organisation known as Great British Railways) is committed to working in partnership with Mayoral Combined County Authorities to deliver these sorts of ambitions, building on existing ‘pay-as-you-go rail pilots’ (which are trials that allow passengers to tap in and out of stations using a contactless card or device).

Roads

The Mayoral Combined County Authority would play a key coordination role in the local road network. It would work with National Highways on the strategic road network (which covers motorways and some A roads), and its constituent councils on local roads. Responsibility for local roads would remain with the councils, and not with the Mayoral Combined County Authority.

This includes:

• The Mayoral Combined County Authority would set up and coordinate a ‘Key Route Network’ (KRN) on behalf of the Mayor. A KRN is a collection of locally important roads – the aim of setting it up is to allow for major roads to be managed in a strategic way, to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, introduce bus priority, or cycle infrastructure across an area. Mayors would also hold a ‘power of direction’ over this network to support delivery of their agreed Local Transport Plan. This means they can require a constituent council to use their road powers in a way that is consistent with the KRN.
• As the Local Transport Authority, the Mayoral Combined County Authority would be empowered to regulate on-street micromobility schemes (like hire bikes), so local areas can shape these schemes around their needs, connect people to public transport, and tackle the problem of badly-parked cycles and e-cycles.
• Subject to a separate consultation, it is proposed that the government will devolve approval of local Lane Rental schemes to Mayoral Combined County Authorities. This would enable constituent councils to charge the companies undertaking roadworks on busy roads at busy times with the aim of minimising disruption by seeking the Mayoral Combined County Authority’s approval, rather than the Department for Transport.
• National Highways are committed to formalising and strengthening its relationship with Mayoral Combined County Authorities, which will ensure a more cohesive approach to the management and development of England’s strategic road network alongside local roads.

3.3 Skills and employment support

The Mayoral Combined County Authority would receive:

• Devolved adult skills funding and functions from the Department for Education. Adult skills funding is intended to support adults aged over 19 to participate in education and training.
• Devolution of future ‘supported employment’ funding from the Department for Work and Pensions – which is funding to help disabled people, people with health conditions, and those with more complex barriers to work to find a suitable job and sustain work. It can also be used to help those in work but at risk of falling out of the labour market to retain their job.

These funds would support the Mayoral Combined County Authority to do things like tailor the training and support for adults in the area to the types of jobs available locally, and to local priorities. The government has also committed to giving Mayoral Combined County Authorities a substantive role in co-designing any future national employment support programmes that is additional to the core work done by Jobcentre Plus. The Mayoral Combined County Authority would also be asked to produce a local Get Britain Working Plan for its area, which would be focused on reducing economic inactivity and driving integration between national and local health, work, and skills provision in the area.

The Mayoral Combined County Authority would also take on joint ownership of the Local Skills Improvement Plan model with Employer Representative Bodies. These Plans set the strategic direction for skills provision in the area and could help to facilitate opportunities for 16-19-year-olds to undertake apprenticeships, education and training that lead to good quality employment opportunities.

3.4 Housing and strategic planning

The government is committed to delivering 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament, and Mayoral Combined County Authorities are integral to meeting that commitment:

• The Mayoral Combined County Authority would be given control of funding to support regeneration and housing delivery. As set out in section 3.1, the precise funds and amount would be determined through the next Spending Review. However, as context, Mayoral Combined County Authorities that existed in the period 2021 to 2024 received control of funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support the delivery of housing on brownfield sites.
• The Mayoral Combined County Authority would have a strategic place partnership with Homes England (which is a central government organisation sponsored by the Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government) – a formal partnership arrangement which brings together their respective strengths and resources.
• The Mayoral Combined County Authority would also have powers to drive regeneration in their area. For example, they would have powers to establish Mayoral Development Corporations, which are statutory bodies created to help deliver regeneration schemes. Housing and strategic planning powers are set out in Section 3.5 of the English Devolution White Paper.
• The government has recently announced that, in all parts of the country, groups of councils will be required to work together to develop Spatial Development Strategies (SDS). In this area, that work would be led by the Mayoral Combined County Authority, with the Mayor empowered to develop and propose the SDS. Once an SDS is in place, the Mayor would also be given powers, similar to those held by the Mayor of London, to ‘call in’ planning applications of ‘strategic importance’. These powers will enable Mayors to scrutinise the most significant planning proposals in their area to ensure they support the SDS. The Mayor would also receive the ability to charge new developments (such as developments led by private sector housebuilders) in their area. This is known as a ‘Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy’ and the revenue collected is used to help deliver local infrastructure.

3.5 Economic development and regeneration

The Mayoral Combined County Authority would play a crucial role in attracting international investment for the area – supporting business to thrive and grow, and creating vibrant places where people want to live and work.

To help achieve this, the Mayoral Combined County Authority would take lead responsibility for managing and focusing local programmes that provide businesses with support and advice on things like introductions to local supply chains or help with starting a new business (known as ‘business support’ programmes). This involves hosting the local Growth Hub, which is part of a national Business Growth Service but can tailor its services to the needs of the local economy and local businesses. The Mayoral Combined County Authority and the Department for Business and Trade would form a strategic partnership to align national and local policymaking. The partnership would also ensure effective delivery of interventions to boost domestic business growth, boost exports, encourage inward investment and grow the co-operative and mutual economy.

To support the Mayoral Combined County Authority to unlock their area’s innovation potential, working in partnership with businesses and universities, there would be stronger direct connections with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which is a central government organisation that directs research and innovation funding, funded through the science budget of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Given the importance of culture, heritage, sport, and tourism to local economies and communities, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (and its Arm’s Length Bodies, such as Historic England) would explore a deeper, collaborative partnership with the Mayoral Combined County Authority.

3.6 Environment and climate change

Making Britain a clean energy superpower is one of the government’s five defining missions. The decarbonisation journey will support efforts to protect the natural environment and biodiversity. The Mayoral Combined County Authority would be a crucial partner in transitioning Great Britain to a low-cost, clean power energy system by 2030, and in implementing the Warm Homes Plan to save households money on their bills and to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions. The Combined County Authority would have a role in co-ordinating the zoning of local heat networks, meaning they would play a role in the delivery of heat decarbonisation.

The Combined County Authority would also have a strategic role on net zero including on Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan and Warm Homes Plan. In order to provide local, place-based environmental leadership, the Combined County Authority would play a leadership role in Local Nature Recovery Strategies, through convening partnerships and coordinating action, funding and delivery.

3.7 Health, wellbeing, and public service reform

The government believes that Mayoral Combined County Authorities have a key role to play in improving health and wellbeing alongside wider public service reform. To support the Mayoral Combined County Authority to drive a “health in all policies” approach, it would have a new bespoke duty in relation to health improvement and health inequalities. This duty would ensure that the Mayoral Combined County Authority takes into account the need to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities when exercising their powers and functions, giving them a clear stake in improving local health outcomes.

By working with other local leaders, the institution would also be able to bring together local partners to work together on reforming, and driving improvements in, public services. For example, the government has established an expectation that Mayors will be considered for the role of chair for the NHS Integrated Care Partnership. The government would also work with stakeholders in the Mayoral Combined County Authority’s area to identify areas to facilitate the alignment of public service boundaries and closer working when there is a clear rationale for doing so, and where the benefits significantly exceed any costs and risks incurred.

3.8 Public safety

The Mayoral Combined County Authority would have an important role to play in achieving the government’s Safer Streets Mission, supporting rehabilitation, and reducing reoffending, and in supporting the safety of their residents and the resilience of their communities. This should complement the role local councils play in this area. To deliver this, the government is committed to increasing the number of Mayors who take on Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) responsibilities. Generally, where devolution geographies align with police force and fire and rescue geographies, Mayors would become responsible for exercising PCC and FRA functions.

3.9       Established Mayoral Status

In time, the Mayoral Combined County Authority could apply for ‘Established Mayoral’ Status, which is a deeper level of devolution – meaning, for example, more powers and funding from central government. If they achieved this status, they would automatically receive the additional powers available at that level, including an Integrated Settlement, which will give the area even greater funding freedom and flexibility. The conditions the Mayoral Combined County Authority would need to meet to become eligible are set out in Section 2.2.4 of the English Devolution White Paper; and the deeper powers available to them are summarised in the fourth column of the table in Annex A of this consultation document.

4. What this means for Greater Essex

4.1 Overview of Greater Essex

With a population of over 1.8 million^{[footnote 1]} and a total Gross Value Added (GVA) of over £50 billion,^{[footnote 2]} Greater Essex is well placed to drive forward innovative and ambitious growth.

The geography of the region is diverse, made up of the urban centres of Colchester, Chelmsford, Southend-on-Sea, Basildon and Harlow; coastal resorts including Clacton-on-Sea and Canvey Island; busy ports in Thurrock and Harwich; and rural areas around Maldon, Braintree and Saffron Walden. Despite this varied landscape, the area already has a strong shared identity with a distinct history going back hundreds of years.

The area benefits from two international airports (London Stansted Airport and London Southend Airport), and connections to two Freeports (Thames Freeport and Freeport East). These are portals to the global economy, key drivers of growth and areas for new investment. National rail services connect much of the region with London and neighbouring counties and some areas are covered by Transport for London services including the Elizabeth Line. The M25 runs through the west of the region with several key roads radiating out and connecting other areas including the M11, A12, A127 and A13. Over 80% of the journeys in Greater Essex start and finish in Greater Essex, which demonstrates the extent to which commuting and other travel patterns are based around this area, as well as the importance of connections to London.^{[footnote 3]}
The area is at the forefront of housing innovation, with planned Garden Communities such as Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, and the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community, creating new homes for residents. Tourism is an important sector, with seaside resorts such as Southend-on-Sea and the Dedham Vale Area of Natural Beauty bringing in millions of visitors a year.

4.2 Economic and social outlook

The area has strengths in key growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing, green energy, digi-tech and life sciences, as well as logistics, construction and retrofit. Its thriving advanced manufacturing sector, ranging from optical to aerospace production, makes up 9 percent of total jobs in the county (in 2018).^{[footnote 4]} Greater Essex is part of the UK Innovation Corridor and the Thames Estuary, two important regions for the UK economy. Over 200 large businesses (250+ employees) are based in the area, such as Industrial Chemicals Ltd, Olympus KeyMed, Ipeco and Amazon, alongside heritage brands such as Maldon Salt and Wilkin & Sons Ltd. The region is also home to many new businesses – in 2022, over 1,000 businesses were launched in Southend-on-Sea alone.^{[footnote 5]}
Greater Essex houses the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Braintree and Harlow Innovation Park. The area is also home to a number of educational institutions, including the University of Essex, Anglia Ruskin University and South Essex College.

In addition, Greater Essex is supporting the UK’s drive to a greener economy. Freeport East has significant potential for new investment with a planned Green Energy Hub at Harwich, and the extensive coastline presents opportunities for offshore wind development. There are also significant opportunities for life sciences and agri-tech (with the Essex Plant Innovation Centre at the University of Essex) and digi-tech (such as the Harlow Data Centre, home to Kao Data).

However, whilst Greater Essex has significant opportunities, there are also barriers to unlocking the region’s potential. Strains on local transport infrastructure can mean that people find it harder to easily access good jobs, healthcare and skills opportunities. More homes are needed for the growing population (Greater Essex’s population increased by an average of 13,400 people per year over the last decade),^{[footnote 6]} and higher skill levels are needed for growing the region’s sectoral clusters (such as aerospace, MedTech and agri-tech).^{[footnote 7]} There are also significant inequalities across the region that local partners are already working hard to tackle.  For example, in 2022, Essex County Council noted a 30% gap in educational attainment between the most and least deprived areas in the county;^{[footnote 8]} and in Southend-on-Sea, life expectancy in 2019 in the most disadvantaged areas was 10.5 years lower for men and 9.4 years lower for women (compared to the least disadvantaged areas).^{[footnote 9]}

4.3 Working across Greater Essex

The three upper-tier local councils (Essex County Council, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council) already collaborate on several areas and share a Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC).

The Greater Essex Business Board has recently been set up by the three upper-tier local authorities to drive collaborative economic growth across the region, and the councils have collaborated on a shared Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) and local Growth Hub provision.

4.4 How devolution could impact Greater Essex

Based on the powers and funding available, as set out in Section 3, a Mayoral Combined County Authority across the proposed geography could have the following impacts:
- Transport: New transport powers, including through the Mayoral Combined County Authority becoming the Local Transport Authority, could make it easier for people to commute and travel around Greater Essex. On buses, the Mayoral Combined County Authority could decide to pursue opportunities across the whole area such as a single ‘enhanced partnership’ or ‘bus franchising’. This could improve public transport provision and enable more people to access a wider pool of job opportunities.

Improvements to local transport infrastructure will support Greater Essex’s role as a major gateway between international markets and the UK economy. Given the key strategic roads that go through Greater Essex, a stronger, more formal relationship with National Highways could be particularly beneficial. The Mayoral Combined County Authority could tackle existing transport issues, including improving rail connectivity through strategic engagement with Great British Railways and a statutory role for the Mayor in governing, managing, planning and developing the rail network.

• Skills: The skills powers and funding available to the Mayoral Combined County Authority could help tailor training and support for adults in the area to the types of jobs available locally and local priorities. This could help address skills shortages in key sectors such as aerospace, MedTech and agri-tech.
• Housing: The funding and powers available to deliver new housing across the Mayoral Combined County Authority geography could help address issues around the need for new housing across the area and improve housing affordability.
• Economic development: The Mayoral Combined County Authority would play a key role in attracting greater levels of international investment and supporting more local businesses to grow and thrive through new economic development and regeneration powers. This could be particularly beneficial to major sectors, such as advanced manufacturing and life sciences. It could also be particularly impactful given the importance of Stansted and Southend Airports as well as Thames Freeport and Freeport East. It could also support new businesses in Greater Essex to grow and succeed.
• Environment and climate change: A strong role for the Mayoral Combined County Authority, such as playing a leading role in local nature recovery strategies, could help maximise the benefits from Greater Essex’s natural environment. As a partner in the government’s energy and climate change ambitions, the Mayoral Combined County Authority could also help the UK to meet its clean energy mission, which could build on Greater Essex’s existing strengths to drive a greener economy, such as in green energy and offshore wind development opportunities.
• Health, wellbeing and public service reform: The Mayoral Combined County Authority could play a key role in improving health and wellbeing , underpinned by a new bespoke duty in relation to health improvement and health inequalities. This would mean that the Mayoral Combined County Authority would need to have regard to the need to improve health, and reduce health inequalities, in the exercise of its functions. Combined with an expectation that the Mayor would be appointed to one or more of the relevant Integrated Care Partnerships in the area, this could help strengthen the focus and increase the join up of action to address issues around ill health and inequalities across the area, and build on the work local councils are already doing to tackle this.
• Representation: The Mayor would take a seat at the Prime Minister’s Council of Nations and Regions as well as the Deputy Prime Minister’s Mayoral Council, which would give the area a stronger voice with the government. Greater Essex would be one of the first parts of the South East of England to be represented.

5. Consultation questions

Having considered all of the above, please respond to the following questions. For each question, you can provide the following answers:

• Strongly agree.
• Agree.
• Neither agree nor disagree.
• Disagree.
• Strongly disagree.
• Don’t know.
• Prefer not to say.

You will also be invited to explain your answers.

6. Next steps 

Following the consultation, the Secretary of State will consider all responses and decide whether to establish a Mayoral Combined County Authority. If the Secretary of State decides to proceed, the government will confirm funding (subject to Spending Review) and, provided the constituent councils consent, the necessary secondary legislation will be laid in Parliament. If approved by Parliament, the Combined County Authority would be established in time for the first mayoral election to take place in May 2026.

Annex A – Devolution Framework Summary Table

The government intends to implement the Devolution Framework via the English Devolution Bill; the functions within it would then automatically be conferred onto any existing Combined County Authority if the Bill receives Royal Assent, and the provisions come into force.

Key

(**) refers to functions for which funding will be included in Integrated Settlements for Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities

(^) refers to functions which apply to Combined and Combined County Authorities only

Detail	Foundation	Mayoral	Established
Funding and investment
Access to a multi-departmental, long-term integrated funding settlement**			X
Long-term investment fund, with an agreed annual allocation		X	X
Removal of gateway review from investment fund, after Gateway One complete			X
Ability to introduce mayoral precepting on council tax^		X	X
Consolidation of local growth and place funding in a single pot**	X	X	X
Strategic leadership
A statutory duty to produce Local Growth Plans		X	X
Membership of the Council of Nations and Regions		X	X
Membership of the Mayoral Data Council		X	X
Transport and local infrastructure
Local Transport Authority and public transport functions, including bus franchising and responsibility for an area-wide Local Transport Plan	X	X	X
Simplification and consolidation of local transport funding**	X	X	X
Removal of certain Secretary of State consents, e.g. on lane rental schemes		X	X
Duty to establish a Key Route Network on the most important local roads^		X	X
Mayoral Power of Direction over use of constituent authority powers on the Key Route Network^		X	X
Priority for strategic rail engagement (including mayoral partnerships) with Great British Railways	X	X	X
Statutory role in governing, managing, planning, and developing the rail network		X	X
An option for greater control over local rail stations		X	X
A ‘right to request’ further rail devolution			X
Priority for support to deliver multi-modal ticketing			X
A clear, strategic role in the decarbonisation of the local bus fleet	X	X	X
Active Travel England support for constituent authority capability^	X	X	X
Formal partnership with National Highways		X	X
Skills and employment support
Joint ownership of the Local Skills Improvement Plan model, with Employer Representative Bodies	X	X	X
Devolution of the core Adult Skills Fund	X
Devolution of non-apprenticeship adult skills functions through a consolidated skills funding pot**		X	X
Central convening of youth careers provision including greater flexibility for Careers hubs		X	X
A clear role in relation to 16-19 education and training		X	X
Responsibility for developing local Get Britain Working Plans	X	X	X
Devolution of supported employment funding**	X	X	X
Co-design of future employment support that is additional to core Jobcentre Plus provision		X	X
Delegated delivery or commissioning of employment support that is additional to core Jobcentre Plus provision			X
Alignment of Jobcentre Plus boundaries with Strategic Authorities			X
Housing and strategic planning
A duty to produce a Spatial Development Strategy	X	X	X
Strategic development management powers (once the Spatial Development Strategy is in place)		X	X
Ability to raise a Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy to fund strategic infrastructure (once the Spatial Development Strategy is in place)		X	X
Ability to make Mayoral Development Orders		X	X
Ability to establish Mayoral Development Corporations		X	X
Homes England compulsory purchase powers (held concurrently)	X	X	X
Devolution of wider grant funding to support regeneration and housing delivery**		X	X
Ability to set the strategic direction of any future programme to support affordable housing provision in their area			X
Strategic Place Partnership with Homes England		X	X
Support to establish a public sector land commission			X
Economic development and regeneration
Partnership working with Department for Science, Industry and Technology and UK Research and Innovation to explore opportunities for closer long-term collaboration in strengthening local research and innovation capacity	X	X	X
Develop joint innovation action plans with Innovate UK to shape long-term strategies and investments		X	X
Embed UK Research and Innovation lead points of contact for enhanced collaborative working on innovation with Mayoral Strategic Authorities that are committed to work collaboratively on innovation		X	X
Responsibility as the accountable body for the delivery of Growth Hubs	X	X	X
Devolution of Growth Hubs funding**			X
A Strategic Partnership with the Department for Business and Trade focused on domestic growth, exports, investment, and delivery of local growth priorities.		X	X
Partnership working with Department for Culture, Media and Sport Arm’s Length Bodies to maximise culture, heritage, and sport spending in place	X	X	X
Environment and climate change
Devolution of retrofit funding this parliament subject to a successful transition period (see 3.7)**			X
Heat network zoning coordination role	X	X	X
Coordinating local energy planning to support development of regional network energy infrastructure	X	X	X
Green jobs and skills coordination role	X	X	X
A strategic role on net zero in collaboration with government, including on Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan and Warm Homes Plan	X	X	X
Responsibility for coordinating delivery and monitoring of Local Nature Recovery Strategies^	X	X	X
Health, wellbeing and public service reform
A bespoke statutory health improvement and health inequalities duty^	X	X	X
Mayors engaged during the Integrated Care Boards chair appointment process		X	X
Mayors as members of local Integrated Care Partnerships, and consideration for position of chair or co-chair		X	X
A role in convening partners and driving cross-cutting public service reform, including looking at areas such as multiple disadvantage	X	X	X
Public safety
Mayors accountable for the exercise of Police and Crime Commissioner functions where police force and mayoral boundaries align^		X	X
Mayors accountable for the exercise of Fire and Rescue Authority functions where fire and rescue service and mayoral boundaries align		X	X
A clear and defined role in local resilience, working with the Local Resilience Forum to embed resilience into broader policy and delivery^	X	X	X

Annex B – Address details and list of consultation questions

 We encourage everyone to use this opportunity to share your opinions on the establishment of a Mayoral Combined County Authority across this area.

• The easiest way for you to respond and engage in the consultation is by completing the online form. Once you are on the website, you will be guided through the specific questions on which we are seeking views.
• If you are unable to provide your views through the online form, you can alternatively email or post your response to the questions. For email and postal responses, we would ask that you make clear which area consultation you are responding to (there are a number of live consultations on English devolution).

• You should also make clear whether you disagree or agree with each question to ensure the statistics we collect following the consultation accurately reflect your views. We will categorise responses as ‘do not have a view’ where written responses are unclear. Please also confirm whether you are replying as an individual or submitting an official response on behalf of an organisation and include:

  • your name
  • your position (if applicable)
  • the name of organisation (if applicable)
  • an address (including post-code)
  • an email address
  • a contact telephone number

Written responses to the consultation questions may be sent by email to: GreaterEssexDevolutionConsultation@communities.gov.uk

Or posted to:

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will not acknowledge receipt of responses.

Consultation questions

Question 1: To what extent do you agree or disagree that establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority over the proposed geography will deliver benefits to the area? 

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know
• Prefer not to say

Please explain your answer. 

Question 2: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the proposed governance arrangements for the Mayoral Combined County Authority?

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know
• Prefer not to say

Please explain your answer. 

Question 3: To what extent do you agree or disagree that working across the proposed geography through the Mayoral Combined County Authority will support the economy of the area?

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know
• Prefer not to say

Question 4: To what extent do you agree or disagree that working across the proposed geography through the Mayoral Combined County Authority will improve social outcomes in the area?

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know
• Prefer not to say

Please explain your answer. 

Question 5: To what extent do you agree or disagree that working across the proposed geography through a Mayoral Combined County Authority will improve local government services in the area?   

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know
• Prefer not to say

Please explain your answer. 

Question 6: To what extent do you agree or disagree that working across the proposed geography through a Mayoral Combined County Authority will improve the local natural environment and overall national environment?   

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know
• Prefer not to say

Please explain your answer. 

Question 7: To what extent do you agree or disagree that working across the proposed geography through the Mayoral Combined County Authority will support the interests and needs of local communities and reflect local identities?  

• Strongly agree
• Agree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Disagree
• Strongly disagree
• Don’t know
• Prefer not to say

Please explain your answer. 

About You

1. Please tell us how you found out about this consultation?

(select one)

• Social media                                                                                                                
• Email                                                                                                                                   
• GOV.UK website                                                                                                                   
• Local council website                                                                                                   
• Poster/ leaflet                                                                                                                        
• Word of mouth                                                                                                                       
• News outlet (newspaper / TV / online)
• Other

2. What best describes your response?

(Select one)

• I am a member of the public, giving my views as an individual
• I am responding on behalf of, or as a representative of, a business or organisation

For those responding as a member of the public giving views as an individual

3.  What is the first part of the postcode where you live? For example, if your postcode is AB1 2CD, you would write AB1

We ask this so that we can identify what Local Authority you live in and understand a bit more about the area where you live. We do not use this information to identify you. 

4. What best describes your gender?

(Select one)

• Female
• Male
• Prefer not to say  
• Prefer to self-describe: (open text box)

5.  What is your age group?

(Select one)

• Under 18
• 18-24
• 25-34
• 35-44
• 45-54
• 55-64
• 65-74
• 75+
• Prefer not to say

6.  What is your ethnic group?

(Select one)

• White
• Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups
• Asian or Asian British
• Black, Black British, Caribbean or African
• Other ethnic group
• Prefer not to say

7.  Do you consider yourself to be a disabled person or to have a long-term, limiting condition?

Please tick one box only

• Yes
• No
• Prefer not to say

8.  Which of the following best describes your sexual orientation?

• Heterosexual/Straight
• Gay/Lesbian
• Bisexual
• Prefer not to say
• Other – Please write below

Routing for business/organisation

9. What best describes your organisation?

• Business
• County Council
• Unitary council
• District Council
• Town Council
• Parish Council
• Health Body
• Voluntary and community sector or charity
• Academic
• Elected representative
• Prefer not to say
• Other (Please Specify)

10.  What is the first part of the postcode where your business or organisation is based? For example, if your postcode is AB1 2CD, you would write AB1.

We ask this so that we can identify what Local Authority your business/organisation is based in and understand a bit more about the area where it is located. We do not use this information to identify your organisation. 

Annex C: About this consultation

This consultation document and consultation process adhere to the consultation principles issued by the Cabinet Office.

Representative groups are asked to give a summary of the people and organisations they represent and, where relevant, who else they have consulted in reaching their conclusions when they respond.

Information provided in response to this consultation may be published or disclosed in accordance with the access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and UK data protection legislation). In certain circumstances, this may therefore include personal data when required by law.

If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please be aware that, as a public authority, the department is bound by the information access regimes and may therefore be obliged to disclose all or some of the information you provide. In view of this, it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the department.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will, at all times, process your personal data in accordance with UK data protection legislation and in the majority of circumstances this will mean that your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties. A full privacy notice is included below in Annex D.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will not acknowledge receipt of individual responses.

Your opinions are valuable to us. Thank you for taking the time to read this document and respond.

Are you satisfied that this consultation has followed the consultation principles?  If not or you have any other observations about how we can improve the process please contact us via the complaints procedure.

Annex D: Personal data

The following is to explain your rights and give you the information you are entitled to under UK data protection legislation.

Note that this section only refers to personal data (your name, contact details and any other information that relates to you or another identified or identifiable individual personally) not the content otherwise of your response to the consultation.

1. The identity of the data controller and contact details of our Data Protection Officer.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the data controller. The Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotection@communities.gov.uk or by writing to the following address: Data Protection Officer, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF.   

2. Why we are collecting your personal data?

Your personal data is being collected as an essential part of the consultation process, so that we can contact you regarding your response and for statistical purposes. We may also use it to contact you about related matters.

We will collect your IP address if you complete a consultation online. We may use this to ensure that each person only completes a survey once. We will not use this data for any other purpose.

Sensitive types of personal data

Please do not share special category personal data or criminal offence data  if we have not asked for this unless absolutely necessary for the purposes of your consultation response. By ‘special category personal data’, we mean information about a living individual’s:

• Race.
• Ethnic origin.
• Political opinions.
• Religious or philosophical beliefs.
• Trade union membership.
• Genetics.
• Biometrics.
• Health (including disability-related information).
• Sex life; or,
• sexual orientation.

By ‘criminal offence data’, we mean information relating to a living individual’s criminal convictions or offences or related security measures.

3. Our legal basis for processing your personal data

The collection of your personal data is lawful under article 6(1)(e) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation as it is necessary for the performance by MHCLG of a task in the public interest/in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller.  Section 8(d) of the Data Protection Act 2018 states that this will include processing of personal data that is necessary for the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown or a government department i.e. in this case a consultation.

Where necessary for the purposes of this consultation, our lawful basis for the processing of any special category personal data or ‘criminal offence’ data (terms explained under ‘Sensitive Types of Data’) which you submit in response to this consultation is as follows. The relevant lawful basis for the processing of special category personal data is Article 9(2)(g) UK GDPR (‘substantial public interest’), and Schedule 1 paragraph 6 of the Data Protection Act 2018 (‘statutory etc and government purposes’). The relevant lawful basis in relation to personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences data is likewise provided by Schedule 1 paragraph 6 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

4. With whom we will be sharing your personal data

MHCLG may appoint a ‘data processor’, acting on behalf of the Department and under our instruction, to help analyse the responses to this consultation.  Where we do, we will ensure that the processing of your personal data remains in strict accordance with the requirements of the data protection legislation.

5. For how long we will keep your personal data, or criteria used to determine the retention period.

Your personal data will be held for two years from the closure of the consultation, unless we identify that its continued retention is unnecessary before that point

6. Your rights, e.g. access, rectification, restriction, objection

The data we are collecting is your personal data, and you have considerable say over what happens to it. You have the right:

a. to see what data we have about you

b. to ask us to stop using your data, but keep it on record

c. to ask to have your data corrected if it is incorrect or incomplete

d. to object to our use of your personal data in certain circumstances

e. to lodge a complaint with the independent Information Commissioner (ICO) if you think we are not handling your data fairly or in accordance with the law.  You can contact the ICO at https://ico.org.uk/, or telephone 0303 123 1113.

Please contact us at the following address if you wish to exercise the rights listed above, except the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO: dataprotection@communities.gov.uk or Knowledge and Information Access Team, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF.

7. Your personal data will not be sent overseas.

8. Your personal data will not be used for any automated decision making.

9. Your personal data will be stored in a secure government IT system.

We use a third-party system, Citizen Space, to collect consultation responses. In the first instance your personal data will be stored on their secure UK-based server. Your personal data will be transferred to our secure government IT system as soon as possible, and it will be stored there for two years before it is deleted.

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