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Research Ethics and Young People
To engage or not to engage? If you work in research, you’ve likely had a moment where you’ve contemplated whether to include the hard-to-reach under 18 population in your sample. They can provide rich and valuable insights, yet their participation …
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Local Government Reorganisation – bringing power back to our communities
Councillor Kevin Bentley on how our proposal for Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Essex will empower local residents.
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From Ideas to Impact: Building a Culture of Knowledge Sharing in Data
Sharing is talked about a lot nowadays, house sharing, ride sharing, even reminding your child to share with others (or you if they have a bar of chocolate!). Something that is even more important than sharing chocolate (if that is …
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Keeping the pound in your pocket – why less means more when it comes to councils
Councillor Chris Whitbread, Chancellor of Essex, on this weeks Budget, and what this could mean for local government.
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A proud moment for Greater Essex – our vision for local government moves forward
Councillor Kevin Bentley shares an important update about the Government's consultation on LGR proposals for Greater Essex.
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Continuing Our SEND improvement journey – supporting families and driving change
Councillor Tony Ball shares an update on the SEND improvements being made in Essex.
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Frailty in North East Essex: What’s changed in six months?
1 in 10. That’s the number of adults over 65 that are estimated to be frail in England, equivalent to nearly 1.1 million people. That’s over 30,000 people in Essex alone. What’s astonishing is that, for the most part, the severity of frailty can be mitigated. 1,098,109 over 65s could be affected by …
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Childhood in Essex
We might all like to think we’re “down with the kids”- I certainly did, until I got stuck into our latest research project! But it turns out, childhood today is a whole lot different from what many of us remember. …
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Budget challenges ahead – but Essex is in a strong position
Councillor Chris Whitbread reflects on the financial headlines at the halfway point of the year.
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SDinGov 2025
Something special happens in a small corner of Edinburgh every year. When the comedy fans and culture vultures dissipate after the summer’s festival, a new mob comes to town. Instead of the echoes of laughter and applause, something else fills …
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Why bigger is better for care – and for Greater Essex
Research shows larger councils can deliver high-quality services efficiently and sustainably.
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Marking World Mental Health Day 2025
Councillor John Spence, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Adult Social Care, Public Health and Integration, on the importance of prioritising your wellbeing.
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Pharmacy in Essex: Meeting Needs Today and Tomorrow
Every three years, Essex County Council takes a deep dive into how well our community pharmacies are serving residents. It’s called the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) – and while it might sound technical, it’s actually a vital piece of work …
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Shaping tomorrow – the future of health and social care in Essex
Councillor John Spence, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Adult Social Care, Public Health and Integration, reflects on a pivotal seminar that’s setting the course for Essex’s health and social care future.
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AI Talks: How AI Can Help Us Do More in the Public Sector
Let’s be honest—AI is no longer a thing of the future. It’s arrived and is already embedded within our everyday lives. Whether it’s your phone suggesting the fastest route to work, your streaming app recommending your next binge-watch, or the …
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Local Government Reorganisation – putting more power in the hands of local people
Councillor Kevin Bentley explains how Local Government Reorganisation will empower and support people and communities.
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Our bold vision for a bright future – the Proposal for Greater Essex
This week is a landmark week for the future of local government in Essex, and I couldn’t be prouder to share why with you. We have just published the final Proposal for Greater Essex, a key moment in our journey to …
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Local Government Reorganisation – Proposals emerge, debate continues...
Leader of Essex County Council, Councillor Kevin Bentley, shares his latest update on Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Essex.
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Reflections on Autism Work Experience Week at Essex County Council
This July, Essex County Council (ECC) trialled a new and exciting entry-to-work initiative: Autism Work Experience Week. As Head of People Analytics, Performance and Insight, I was keen to volunteer our team as the first to take part. When I signed …
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Reflecting your priorities in our work to create new councils
Leader of Essex County Council, Councillor Kevin Bentley, shares his latest update on Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Essex.
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Empowering Early Intervention: Building the Risk of NEET Indicator (RONI) Tool
In Essex County Council (ECC), the Education Directorate is taking a proactive stance to ensure that every young person has the best chance to succeed. At the heart of this mission is ECC’s Education Performance & Business Intelligence (PBI) team, …
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LGR in Greater Essex: protecting vital services and achieving a bright future for all
Leader of Essex County Council, Councillor Kevin Bentley, shares his latest update on Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Essex.
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Tackling inequality for 140,000 Essex residents
Earlier this month, we brought some of our partners together to mark three years of Levelling Up in Essex.
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“We need to seize opportunities” – improving the Essex SEND system
Councillor Tony Ball shares what is being done to improve the local SEND system in Essex and supports call for national reform.
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Stars align and point the way ahead for Essex’s future councils
Councillor Kevin Bentley, shares his latest update on local government reorganisation in Greater Essex.
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Cost of Living Index PART 2: Connecting the dots - How we applied the impact of financial pressure to Type 2 diabetes-related outcomes
We know, readers. You’ve all been waiting with bated breath for our next instalment of the Cost of Living Index blog series! Thankfully, there is no need for any more sleepless nights; we are here to deliver what the doctor …
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Central government vs local government
Over the last six months I’ve been on a secondment to the heart of government, the Cabinet Office, after 20 years working in local government across the Essex partnership. I’m here to unequivocally answer the question on everyone’s mind, the …
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Less is More: Fewer councils the right option for Greater Essex
Councillor Kevin Bentley reflects on the latest research on council numbers and what it means for local government reorganisation in Essex.
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The journey to a smoke-free generation begins with a needs assessment
The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest threats the world has ever faced, and it kills 8 million people a year worldwide. In 2019, a national ambition was set for England to become smoke-free by 2030. Essex has also matched this ambition by signing the Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control on October 2023.
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Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Migration to Microsoft Fabric – Fab or Drab?
Guest blogger, Rob Ellis, from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, shares the organisation's migration to Microsoft Fabric.
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LGR: Getting the balance right to protect essential services
Leader, Councillor Kevin Bentley, shares why it's so important to get the balance of new councils right during Local Government Reorganisation.
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We chose the Birkenstocks! The key lessons we learned from redesigning the Essex Area Profiles dashboard
I was embarrassingly late to the ‘Barbie’ bandwagon. In 2023 everybody seemed to be doing the “Barbenheimer” challenge, but I resented the idea of paying to see a film that would inevitably end up on a streaming service, so I …
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Assessing the Cost-of-Living Pressures on Our Residents – Part 1
We’ve all noticed increasing financial pressures in the shops, in our bills, and in all aspects of life over the past few years. It can often feel like every time we tune in to the news there is some worrying …
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Doing what is right for the people we serve
Councillor Kevin Bentley, Leader of Essex County Council, writes that after 50 years, it is time for change for our local councils.
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Running a design sprint about consent: lessons and challenges
We ran a design sprint over five consecutive days in February 2025. We’ll share the outcomes from the sprint in another blog. Here we’ll be exploring running the sprint itself, what went well and what we’d do differently next time. …
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Covid-19 five years on: a Day of Reflection for Essex
Councillor John Spence commemorates the selflessness of Essex residents on the Covid-19 Day of Reflection 2025.
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Experiences of moving websites to LocalGov Drupal
At Essex County Council, we now have several websites on the LocalGov Drupal (LGD) platform. These websites are managed by editors from within their respective services. Some have managed web content before, for others this is a new responsibility. We’re …
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A look at Foster Carer Recruitment Inside and Out
How do you ensure that your recruitment approaches are reaching the right people? How do you know whether there is anything internally that you could do differently to increase recruitment? These are questions that every service, company or team will …
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Learning by doing: How research is a bit like learning to ride a bike
I’ll be honest, I’ve never been one for learning from books. I wouldn’t like to tell you how many times my Mum caught me having a nap while I was meant to be studying! I have always preferred to get …
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Devolution: “Have your say on this momentous step forwards for Essex”
Essex County Council Leader, Councillor Kevin Bentley, updates on the Government’s consultation on Devolution plans for Greater Essex, launched this week.