What will make Essex's politics headlines in 2026?

School is back this week and so is Parliament, with politicians making their way by road and rail to Westminster.

Council meetings are also set to resume this week after the Christmas break.

But what are the big issues in politicians' in-trays?

And what political stories could make the headlines in Essex in 2026?

First up, the government's public consultation about which council model Essex should have closes on the 11 January. You can have your say here.

It is the biggest local government shake-up in Essex for 50 years.

The current two tiers of 15 councils will be abolished and replaced with between three and five all-purpose unitary councils.

After the consultation ends, the government is expected to announce in the spring how many councils Essex will have.

Elections for these new authorities are set to take place in May 2027. They will replace the existing councils in 2028.

In the meantime, the work on local government reorganisation is taking up a lot of council officers' time.

T'is the season for council budget settings.

January is when we start finding out how much more we will be paying in council tax and where money will be spent on local services.

There will also be announcements on what households will contribute to local policing and the fire service, which is listed on council tax bills.

Not every authority raises rates. Harlow District Council has not increased rates in recent years. Councils can only increase tax by 2.99% and an additional 2% if they are responsible for adult social care.

Thurrock Council's cabinet has already approved a 4.99% rise in April.

A recurring theme for over a decade has been where money can be saved, which at times has seen a cut in support or services.

Housing, children's social care and support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities have been pressure points for councils.

We should find out what the government will do to relieve Thurrock of its debt mountain.

The council racked up £1.5bn by borrowing hundreds of millions to invest largely in solar energy, but the investments went wrong.

The authority has managed to recoup some money from its investments and has sold other assets to bring the debt level to around £700m.

Last year, the then local government minister said: "We will provide an initial tranche of financial support for debt repayment for Thurrock Council in 2026-27 ahead of local government reorganisation."

Some sources have suggested around half of it will be taken off Thurrock Council's book.

Thurrock Council leader Lynn Worrall told the BBC: "We will not get all our debt written off. We will get a proportion."

This year's local elections are set to be the largest ever in Essex.

There could be council elections in Southend, Epping Forest, Harlow, Brentwood, Basildon, Colchester and Castle Point.

Last year's postponed county council and Thurrock elections are also expected to take place.

But will they go ahead?

The government has said it is talking to councils to see if they would like to postpone the votes, if they need to focus on local government reorganisation.

This has caused some anger amongst local politicians.

The Conservative leader of Essex County Council, Kevin Bentley, said: "It is for government to make this decision."

No-one, it seems, wants to be seen to be cancelling elections.

The argument for doing so is that it is a mammoth task to abolish and form new councils.

The councillors elected in May will serve for less than two years. Holding county council elections will cost nearly £3m.

But the counter argument is that some councillors elected for four years will serve seven and voters are being denied a chance to have a say over who represents them.

Whilst publicly council leaders are saying they want the elections to go ahead, some are concerned about them happening alongside the changes to local government.

There is, for now, a question mark hanging over them. We will find out this month.

Construction is set to start this year on the new Lower Thames Crossing between Essex and Kent, to the east of the existing Dartford Crossing.

Work will begin on the new motorway-style roads that will join the M25 between junctions 29 and 30.

Environmental works are under way at Coal House Point, near Tilbury, which will become a wetland for migratory and overwintering birds and it is due to open next year.

Boring what will be the UK's largest tunnel will begin in 2028, but work on the tunnel's entrance will begin this summer, as well as the sourcing of a 110m-long (360ft) tunnelling machine.

A new temporary factory will be constructed to produce concrete segments for the tunnel.

This year, the government also aims to find private investors who will fund most of the £10bn infrastructure project in return for income from charges for using the new crossing.

Epping Forest District Council is set to continue its legal battle with the government and Somani, the owner of the Bell Hotel - which is being used to house asylum seekers.

The authority has asked to appeal the decision not to grant an injunction ending the use of the hotel to house asylum seekers.

The hotel has seen twice-weekly protests, mainly from people against it being used for migrants.

The issue has split the local community.

Whilst the Conservatives back continued legal action, the Liberal Democrats are against it.

So far the court action has cost the council £277,425. This does not include any costs the council may have to pay the Home Office and Somani.

The University of Essex has announced it will close its Southend campus 18 years after it opened.

It is set to close at the end of August.

Its courses and 800 students are set to transfer to its main Colchester campus.

There has been outcry from Southend politicians.

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