Thurrock Council says it doesn’t have time to hold elections

“There simply isn’t time to hold elections,” the leader of Thurrock Council said this week as he asked the government to cancel local elections in the area.

The council is one of several in England seeking to postpone their May elections in response to proposed devolution reforms.

Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea are unitary authorities, but the rest of Essex operates under a system of 12 district councils and the county council.

The government’s devolution programme could see the entire county restructured into unitary authorities, meaning May’s local elections could elect councillors to serve for just a single year.

Thurrock’s recent financial turmoil makes an extra election a £300,000 task it could do without. But forgoing this year’s local elections could see Thurrock councillors serve at least five years when elected for four.