Dame Priti Patel blasts Essex council shake-up U-turn

The government announced it would pause and reconsider proposals for local government reorganisation in Essex, a move critics say follows months of uncertainty over the future structure of local authorities. The plans would have seen all Essex councils replaced with five new unitary authorities. Dame Priti Patel, MP for Witham, said Labour's handling of the plans had created confusion and instability for councils and residents. Frustration - Dame Priti Patel said the government has 'played fast-and-loose with our democracy in Essex' (Image: Priti Patel) She said: "Labour has left local government in chaos with its shambolic handling of local government reorganisation. For the last two years they have played fast-and-loose with our democracy in Essex – from cancelling elections to ignoring local views – Labour is betraying our county. "These plans have been flawed from the start and Conservatives have been campaigning hard against them. Today's announcement that the current plans are being withdrawn and reviewed is welcome, but Labour have created further uncertainty and have no plan to resolve the chaos and uncertainty they've created." Dame Priti previously challenged the government in the House of Commons over the cost of reorganisation and the potential impact on frontline services. Braintree MP Sir James Cleverly also welcomed the decision, describing the process as an expensive failure. Reaction - Sir James Cleverly said the U-turn was a 'humiliating waste of money' (Image: Claudia Bradley, Newsquest) He said: "This is a humiliating waste of money. "Recently we were told that Essex was going to have a Greater Essex Mayor, with new powers and new money. Then that election was postponed. "Then we were going to have unitary authorities. That's now been scrapped. "At every stage, I have said that this reorganisation was rushed, poorly thought through, not wanted and wouldn't work. "The Labour government have finally now accepted that that assessment was correct. But they have wasted huge amounts of public money doing so." Sir James also claimed the government had abandoned the plans because it did not want evidence relating to the scheme to become public through legal action. He added: "They've tried to gerrymander this, they've tried to change boundaries for their own political benefit, and they've been caught out." The government has said the proposals will now be reviewed, although details of what will happen next for local government reform in Essex have not yet been confirmed.