Heat-health alert for East of England

A red heat-health warning has been issued by the UKHSA. The warning is in effect from the morning of 24 June 2026 through to the night of 25 Jun 2026. Please ensure you keep up to date with weather reports reports and plan accordingly.

UKHSA weather warning guidance

The Supreme Court's judgment on deprivation of liberty

You may be aware that the Supreme Court has recently issued a judgment which significantly changes the legal approach to determining whether a person is deprived of their liberty. The judgement can be seen here A Reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland of a devolution issue under paragraph 34 o….

We would encourage you to familiarise yourselves with the judgment and carefully consider the implications for your services and practice. Please see the following links for further information: CQC statement on the Supreme Court's judgment on deprivation of liberty - Care Quality Commission and 2026-UKSC-16-Summary-for-website.pdf.

We ask that you refer to this updated position when making any new referrals to the DoLS team.  In addition, as the change came into effect immediately from 2 June, please review any recent DoLS referrals you have made. You should consider whether, in light of this revised approach, any of these referrals may no longer be appropriate.

We hope this offers reassurance whilst we wait for additional National guidance to be disseminated.  At this stage we don’t have further information, but if you have a specific query, you can contact the MCA DoLS Duty Team at Dolforms@essex.gov.uk

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Devolution and LGR

What is Devolution?

The decentralisation of powers, decision making and funding away from central Government to local democratically elected and accountable bodies elsewhere in England.

In Greater Essex, this will lead to the creation of a new single strategic authority for Essex. It will initially take the form of a combined county authority (of which ECC, Southend and Thurrock will be members). A mayoral combined county authority (MCCA) will follow in May 2026. We expect a new mayor for Greater Essex will be directly elected by the public in 2028.

 

What is Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)?

LGR refers to the process of restructuring local councils, typically involving replacing existing two-tier (county and district) structures and or merging smaller existing unitary authorities into larger new single tier “unitary” authorities.

In Greater Essex, proposals are still being developed but, if agreed by government, would see all 15 principal councils replaced with a yet to be agreed number of new unitary councils from April 2028.

 

When will Devolution and LGR take place?

LGR Devolution Essex Timeline

How will providers be affected?

We will be working closely with our suppliers as more details become known and we understand the impact on each contract.

 

Find out more

Explore the published proposal submissions, including executive summaries, on the Greater Essex Local Government Reorganisation Hub. The hub also provides latest information, news, and answers to frequently asked questions about the reorganisation process.

Last updated: 05/12/2025