Thurrock Council calls for scrapping of merger with neighbours Basildon
By Naomi Greenaway - Local Democracy Reporting Service 5th Jun 2026
THURROCK Council has followed the lead of several other regional authorities in the East of England by asking the government to stop Local Government Reorganisation.
Thurrock is due to merge with neighbouring Basildon in two years time under the Labour government's new arrangements, forming a new "South West Essex" authority.
Southend, Rochford and Castle Point could form "South East Essex" following the scrapping of Essex County Council.
However, a number of Reform-led councils have called for abandonment of the programme.
Essex County Council started the ball rolling by saying it did not want to go through with LGR and Norfolk CC quickly followed.
This week Suffolk County Council announced plans to legally challenge the planned changes and now Thurrock Reform leader Cllr Richard Bigley has joined the bandwagon.
He has written to the Government today (Friday, 5 July) calling for the authority to be excluded from LGR, asking MP Steve Reed – Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – to "free the council from the distraction and cost of reorganisation so it can focus on improvement".
He is urging Mr Reed to acknowledge that, while Thurrock Council has made real progress in stabilising its finances and improving governance, those gains "remain fragile and need protecting".
He is calling on the Secretary of State to 'prioritise the interests of Thurrock residents', claiming they have "endured years of neglect, cuts to services and above‑average council tax rises".
He warns that pressing ahead with the Government's chosen local government reorganisation (LGR) model – creating five new unitary authorities across Essex – would be a serious mistake.
In his letter, Cllr Bingley says: "At a time when we are rebuilding civic pride and asking residents to believe in their borough again, structural upheaval risks undermining that fragile confidence. Participating in LGR now would risk slowing or weakening this economic potential.
"Reorganisation would require extensive structural planning, negotiation, and transition work—activities that would inevitably draw attention away from the urgent tasks of renewing civic pride, economic development, financial recovery, and delivering change for Thurrock residents.
"Thurrock's businesses, investors, and strategic partners consistently tell us that what they need most is stability, clarity, and a council able to act quickly and decisively.
"Entering into years of planning and transitioning will mean we are not able to do that effectively, and our residents will remain frustrated while not feeling the benefit of promises made but not delivered."
Cllr Bingley said his administration would resist any move to merge the two boroughs, saying: "It doesn't ring true to democracy, local roots or identity. Both boroughs get on very well, but there is no common identity between them. The reorganisation just seems bonkers."
The full letter can be found here: https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/council-and-elections/devolution-and-local-government-reorganisation-lgr/lgr-our-latest-position
Basildon Council, which is now led by the Conservatives with support from Reform, says it also reviewing the merger plan and doesn't support it.
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