The Government has now launched its public consultation on proposals for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)across Greater Essex. This represents a significant opportunity for organisations, community groups, businesses, and residents to help shape what the future of local government could look like in our county.
Announced on 19 November 2025, the consultation covers all four unitary proposals submitted by councils across Essex, Southend-on-Sea, and Thurrock. It will run until 11 January 2026, giving organisations across the voluntary and community sector vital time to feed back their views.
These proposals aim to simplify how local councils work, strengthen local decision-making, and improve the way services are delivered. This includes ensuring councils reflect local identity, operate efficiently, and deliver high-quality public services.
This is a unique opportunity for the VCS to influence decisions that will affect communities for years to come.
Why this matters to Essex Alliance members
Local Government Reorganisation has the potential to reshape:
how services are delivered
how local priorities are set
how communities engage with decision-making
the future structure and scale of local authorities across Greater Essex
Your insight—as organisations working closely with communities—is key to ensuring these proposals reflect local needs.
All the councils in Essex are working together to propose changes to how they are run. Each council – whether district, borough, city or county councils – might have their own ideas to share with the government.
These proposals are based on:
making sure decision making is as close to communities as possible
delivering value for money and efficient local services
what’s good for local businesses and voluntary sector organisations
Some ideas will be the same, but some will be different.
You can read the four proposals that councils in Greater Essex have sent to government HERE.
3rd December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities — a reminder of how important it is that everyone can access the support they need in their community.
The Essex Map brings together local disability-friendly groups and services, from social clubs and peer support to accessible activities and wellbeing resources.
Are you part of a great group that isn’t listed yet? Add it HERE to help others find them or email: communications@essexalliance.org.uk and we can add it for you.
Looking for support? Start searching on The Essex Map today.
Coming up on 5 December is International Volunteer Day — a global celebration of the power and impact of volunteering. It’s the perfect moment to shine a light on the incredible organisations across Essex that rely on volunteers, and to encourage more people to get involved in supporting their local communities.
If you’re thinking about volunteering, the Essex Map is a great place to start. It brings together a wide range of community groups, charities and local initiatives looking for support.
Simply search “Volunteering” to discover opportunities near you and find something that suits your interests, skills and availability.
Volunteering doesn’t just help the community — it offers real benefits for you too. Some of the key advantages include:
Building stronger communities – Local groups thrive when residents share their time and skills.
Improved wellbeing – Helping others can boost your mood, reduce stress and support better mental health.
Learning new skills – Gain experience in teamwork, communication and practical or specialist abilities.
Increased confidence – Stepping into a volunteer role can help you grow personally and professionally.
Meeting new people – Expand your social circle and connect with like-minded people in your area.
Making a tangible local impact – Even a small amount of time can make a huge difference to community organisations.
Enhancing your CV – Volunteering experience is valued by employers and may open new career paths.
A sense of purpose – Supporting a cause you care about brings fulfilment and motivation.
Flexibility – Many roles can fit around work, study, caring responsibilities or retirement.
Supporting causes you value – From the environment to arts, youth work to health services, there’s something for everyone.
Find Your Volunteering Match
Whether you’re new to volunteering or looking for your next opportunity, the Essex Map makes it easy to explore what’s available across the county. This International Volunteer Day, take a moment to browse, get inspired and maybe even take your first step towards making a difference.
🔍 Search “Volunteering” on The Essex Map and find your match today. ❤️ Together, we can build stronger, more connected communities in Essex.
Essex County Council is conducting important research into youth vaping and is seeking views from parents and carers of children aged 9–14 in Essex.
Your insight will help shape future support and a new county-wide campaign to help families have non-judgemental conversations about the risks of vaping for young people.
The survey is anonymous, takes 10 minutes, and is open to all parents and carers—whether or not your child vapes.
Your feedback will directly support future work to protect the health and wellbeing of young people in Essex.
This survey aims to understand your attitudes to youth vaping, talking about it with your child, and what resources might be helpful to support this.
The findings will be summarised in a report which will be used by Essex County Council to inform services and materials to support parents, schools and young people around vaping. The report will be kept indefinitely and may be shared in the public domain on the Essex Open Data Platform (Essex Youth Vaping | Essex Open Data). Insight may be taken from the report and used for other relevant projects and shared with other partners.
We want to explore how people are using their local community pharmacies and how they think services could be improved. As part of this project, we have launched a new survey to encourage people to share their views and experiences. Whether it’s picking up prescriptions, getting health advice, or using walk-in services, your voice matters. By getting involved, you can help shape pharmacy services and improve access to healthcare.
We are particularly interested in hearing from:
Children and young people
Frail/housebound residents
Parents and carers
People with neurodiverse conditions
People with sensory disabilities
For more information, visit the Healthwatch Essex website:
We are pleased to share an important new resource designed to shine a light on domestic abuse affecting people in later life. On 29 October 2025, partners across Essex launched Look. Listen. Be aware – a countywide campaign focused on increasing understanding, improving identification, and strengthening support for people aged 70 and over who may be experiencing domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse in later life is often hidden. Older people may face unique barriers to seeking help, including dependency on a partner or carer, mobility or health challenges, or simply not recognising certain behaviours as abuse. This campaign aims to break down those barriers and ensure our communities know how to spot the signs and where to turn for help.
Campaign Goals
Raise Awareness
Highlight the realities of domestic abuse among people aged 70+.
Help the public and professionals recognise key warning signs.
Promote the support available through COMPASS, Essex’s specialist domestic abuse helpline.
Encourage anyone supporting older people to reach out for advice and guidance.
Educate & Equip
Provide clear information for professionals—including caregivers, health and social care teams, and community organisations—on recognising abuse and accessing SETDAB resources.
Support local authorities and community groups to confidently signpost older residents to help.
Who the Campaign Supports
The campaign is designed for:
Community organisations and local authorities
Domiciliary care and healthcare professionals
Unpaid carers
Family members and friends
Individuals aged 70+ who may be affected
How You Can Help
Your support is vital in helping this message reach every community across Essex. You can get involved by:
Sharing and engaging with Look. Listen. Be aware social media posts
Using and circulating the partner toolkit across your networks
Adapting the sample content and campaign assets for your own channels
Championing the campaign within your local communities
Encouraging wider stakeholder engagement and amplification
Sharing SETDAB resources within your organisation to build awareness and staff confidence
Access the Toolkit
A comprehensive partner toolkit—along with digital and print campaign assets—is available to download from the campaign’s SharePoint folder. If you need access, please contact campaigns@essex.gov.uk
Essex communities with ideas to improve their local environment now have the chance to secure significant support through the National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment fund. Grants ranging from £300 to £20,000 are available to help organisations start new environmental initiatives, expand existing projects, or run one-off activities with a clear environmental benefit.
The programme, highlighted by Essex County Council’s Environment and Climate Action team, encourages applications from a wide variety of groups—not just registered charities. If you have a community-focused project that can make a real difference, this could be an ideal opportunity to bring it to life.
What Types of Projects Can Be Funded?
The National Lottery is particularly interested in projects that make a positive environmental impact in one or more of these areas:
Green spaces and nature
Reducing carbon emissions or saving energy
Broader environmental improvements
Potential project ideas include:
Creating or enhancing community gardens, rewilding areas, or providing outdoor learning opportunities
Setting up repair cafés
Launching food growing or food sharing initiatives
Installing solar panels or other energy-saving features in well-used community buildings
Simple Application Process
Applicants need to answer only a few straightforward questions, and decisions are typically made within 16 weeks. This makes the fund accessible to groups of all sizes, including new or informal community organisations.
If your organisation has a vision for strengthening local green spaces, reducing carbon footprints, or improving environmental wellbeing in your community, this grant could provide the support you need.
On Wednesday, 26 November, from 6–8 PM, the Lakeside Theatre at the University of Essex will host REFUSAL, an experimental, one-night-only participatory event bringing together an eclectic group of artists, sound practitioners, filmmakers, and researchers. The evening explores fragmentation, glitch, and disruption as creative strategies—an invitation to step outside normative regimes of spectacle and into a space of exploratory, collective encounter.
Working across sound, moving image, sculpture, performance, animation, and computational experimentation, the participating artists each offer a unique approach to storytelling and media. While their practices vary widely, they are united by a shared commitment to openness, curiosity, and refusal of fixed narratives. Following the performances, attendees are warmly invited to join an informal discussion—an opportunity to reflect on the relationships between media, consciousness, materiality, and the unknown.
Featured Artists
The programme includes contributions from:
Elena Botts Artist and researcher at Essex whose work interweaves glitch, sound-field recording, and site-disarticulation to propose “networked sonic rupture” as a gesture toward other worlds.
E.G. King Creator of semi-improvised sound and movement collages using analogue and digital tools to explore mindful creativity.
Pat Nininger Composer of harmonic and noise-based sound ecologies that dismantle linear listening through rupture and saturation.
Hadiyan Yusuf Kuntoro Yogyakarta-based experimenter and researcher whose interdisciplinary practice bridges scientific inquiry, design, and fine art.
aly,willamina cutler-gear Artist working between statistical linguistics, computation, and composition, here performing with homemade software reanimating dormant Norn lifeworlds.
Rachel Garfield Professor of Fine Art at the Royal College of Art, known for video works exploring lived relationships and shifting subjectivities.
Lu : Lucille : hebe Brownrigg A warm-blooded mammal working with voice, breath, and biological resonance, exploring contamination, melody, and microbial possession.
Yun Lu Animation researcher investigating technical failure, nonlinear temporality, and beyond-human animation
The evening will consist of a sequence of short performances and screenings, including video works, sound performances, talks, and hybrid forms. Each piece offers its own mode of epistemic humility—inviting viewers to inhabit uncertainty, complexity, and the refusal of closure.
The Senior Centre Café, run by HSPS, takes place on the last Friday of every month, offering a friendly and welcoming space for older residents.
📅 Next Session: Friday28 November 2025 🕐 Time: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM 📍 Location: The New Senior Centre, The Hub, Gilden Park, Fieldfare Way, Harlow CM17 0GJ (Behind the Linden store — free parking available along the road)
Attendees can look forward to an engaging afternoon featuring:
Chair Yoga
Refreshments & Games
A Health Talk from the Vision and Eye Research Institute on Diabetic Retinopathy, highlighting ways to reduce the risk of blindness and addressing global inequalities in eye health.
This session aims to:
Raise awareness about diabetic retinopathy and prevention strategies
Empower individuals and families to better manage diabetes and protect their vision
Everyone is welcome, and residents are encouraged to bring a friend along to enjoy the community atmosphere.
