South East Essex Council is a planned English unitary authority for the new local government district of South East Essex. The council will be a constituent member of the Greater Essex Combined Authority.
As part of the Starmer ministry local government reform, a goal of "simpler local government structures" was set out by the government, including a commitment to phase out two-tier local government structures. South East Essex Council was announced in March 2026 as the replacement for Castle Point Borough Council, Rochford District Council and Essex County Council in Castle Point and Rochford and Southend-on-Sea City Council in Southend-on-Sea. The area of Castle Point, Rochford and Southend-on-Sea will form the South East Essex local government district.
The 2027 South East Essex Council election is set to take place in May 2027, with the authority taking over local government responsibilities on 1 April 2028. The council will be a constituent member of the Greater Essex Combined Authority, which is also being established ahead of the 2028 Greater Essex mayoral election.