Exploring attitudes to local government reorganisation in Essex

About the study

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) was commissioned to conduct a survey and qualitative research with Essex residents to explore their attitudes about plans for local government reorganisation (LGR) in Greater Essex. LGR will see 15 councils replaced with a smaller number of single-tier local authorities as part of the government's agenda to make councils simpler and improve efficiency and capacity. 

The purpose of the research was to gather residents’ views to inform the business cases developed by Essex councils which set out different ways of approaching LGR. 

The research comprised two strands:

1. A representative survey of 1,477 Essex residents.
2. A deliberative workshop with 30 residents across Essex and three focus groups with underrepresented groups: young people, disabled people/those with long term health conditions, and people from minority ethnic backgrounds. 

The survey findings provide insight into what residents view as the key opportunities and risks of LGR for themselves, their families and their communities, and the areas they would prioritise in decisions made about LGR. 

The workshop and focus groups explored the same themes in more depth, providing rich insights into why residents perceive certain benefits and risks, and how they decide which areas should be prioritised. 

Findings

The insights emerging from the survey and qualitative fieldwork aligned closely, with clear messaging that residents value a cautious approach to LGR that results in improved services and involves residents through consultation and transparency about changes and their likely impacts. The key takeaways are outlined below:

• Awareness of LGR is mixed. Survey findings showed mixed awareness of LGR with 51% ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ aware of the upcoming changes and 49% knowing ‘a fair amount’ or ‘a great deal’ about LGR.
• Improving public services is residents’ top priority. When asked which priority areas they consider most important, qualitative research participants overwhelmingly ranked improving public services as their highest priority over other areas like the economy and preserving local identity. Similarly, the majority of survey respondents supported LGR if it led to better services (85%).
• Residents value efficiency over higher taxes. Less than half of survey respondents (44%) were willing to pay more for improved services. Qualitative research revealed that residents think services should be improved through efficiencies rather than increasing tax. Participants valued transparency about any changes to services and council tax.
• Preference for a gradual transition over rapid change. Qualitative research highlighted concerns around how the transition of services would be managed and the impact it would have on service users. They therefore favoured a more gradual transition to avoid major disruption.
• Residents value transparency and engagement. Survey respondents saw clearer responsibility for service delivery (76%) and decision-making (66%) as reasons to agree with LGR. Qualitative research participants expressed a desire for regular and meaningful engagement within their communities in the short, medium and long term.
• Complete findings from the quantitative research (survey) and qualitative research (focus groups and workshop) are presented in separate slide decks. A summary slide deck combines insights from both strands. 

Methodology

Quantitative research: Survey of Essex residents 

The survey was designed in collaboration with NatCen and all 15 local authorities across Greater Essex. It took approximately 15 minutes to complete. The survey was representative of all residents across Greater Essex in terms of gender, ethnicity, district, and socio-economic group. 

A total of 1,477 residents completed the survey. The analysis looked at several subgroups, including residents’ demographics, how long they have lived in Essex, and their awareness of LGR. 

Qualitative research: deliberative workshop 

We conducted a three-hour deliberative workshop with 30 Essex residents, in which an expert speaker presented background and context about LGR. Breakout rooms were convened and facilitators moderated discussions about the key opportunities, considerations and priorities for LGR. 

The sample was reflective of the wider population of Essex in terms of gender, age, ethnicity and social grade. Participants were recruited from four areas (North, West, Mid and South Essex) to ensure a spread of participants from across Essex. 

Qualitative research – focus groups 

We ran three two-hour focus groups with young people, disabled people/those with long term health conditions, and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, to ensure the research was attentive to the views on underrepresented communities. We spoke to 22 residents across these groups. The focus groups featured condensed versions of the workshop activities.