North East Essex will be a unitary authority area scheduled to be created in April 2028 in Essex, England. Created as part of an ongoing local government reorganisation, it will be formed from the existing districts of Braintree, Colchester and Tendring. The first councillors to North East Essex Council will be elected at the 2027 North East Essex Council election in May 2027. The largest settlement in the district is the city of Colchester.
In February 2025, Essex was accepted into the Devolution Priority Programme. Tied to this, councils were invited to submit proposals for the reorganisation of local government districts by September 2025. The government held statutory consultations from November 2025 to January 2026 and made a decision in March 2026. In North East Essex, it was decided to create a new unitary authority district by combining Braintree, Colchester and Tendring.
The largest settlement in the district is Colchester. The Office for National Statistics mid-2023 population estimate of the district is 510,162.
There are 116 civil parishes in North East Essex. There are unparished areas in Braintree and Bocking, Colchester and Clacton.
The local authority will be North East Essex Council. The first councillors will be elected at the 2027 North East Essex Council election.