Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, given the cancellation of Greater Essex’s mayoral election, can the minister confirm that the lower-tier authorities in Essex, including Basildon Council, will have 2026 elections as scheduled.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 2026 elections, I refer the Hon. Gentleman to my answer to Question UIN 94417 of 24 November. Our answer remains that local elections will go ahead unless there is strong justification otherwise. The Government announced on 4 December that we are minded to hold inaugural elections for the proposed Greater Essex Mayoral Strategic Authority in 2028 rather than 2026. This is separate to council elections.
There is no statutory provision for referendums as part of local government reorganisation. Parliament has already set out in legislation the process for establishing unitary councils in two-tier areas, and a referendum is not part of this process. We understand communities should have their say in the future of local government in their area so we have been clear on the importance of councils engaging with local residents and organisations as they develop their proposals. The Government is now consulting on final proposals for local government reorganisation in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. The Hon. Member’s constituents are able to respond here.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, will the upper-tier authorities Essex County Council, Thurrock Council, and Southend Council have 2026 elections as scheduled.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 2026 elections, I refer the Hon. Gentleman to my answer to Question UIN 94417 of 24 November. Our answer remains that local elections will go ahead unless there is strong justification otherwise. The Government announced on 4 December that we are minded to hold inaugural elections for the proposed Greater Essex Mayoral Strategic Authority in 2028 rather than 2026. This is separate to council elections.
There is no statutory provision for referendums as part of local government reorganisation. Parliament has already set out in legislation the process for establishing unitary councils in two-tier areas, and a referendum is not part of this process. We understand communities should have their say in the future of local government in their area so we have been clear on the importance of councils engaging with local residents and organisations as they develop their proposals. The Government is now consulting on final proposals for local government reorganisation in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. The Hon. Member’s constituents are able to respond here.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to publish detailed data on reoffending outcomes by (a) sentence type, (b) offence type, and (c) offender characteristics.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We publish proven reoffending statistics quarterly, including detailed data by sentence type, offence type, and offender characteristics. The next publication is due at the end of January 2026 (Proven reoffending statistics - GOV.UK).
We are tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes education, employment, accommodation and access to substance misuse treatment.
For example, to support employment, we are delivering vocational courses, a future skills programme, and expanding the prisoner apprenticeship scheme. All 93 resettlement prisons have key roles in place to prepare prisoners for employment on release, and we have launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation, and the Department for Work and Pensions to support prison leavers.
Reoffending rates for adults sentenced to less than 12 months in custody remain high – in the latest data, just over 60% reoffended within a year. Ministry of Justice research shows that community orders and suspended sentences are up to 4 percentage points more effective at reducing reoffending than short custodial sentences. That is why we are introducing a presumption to suspend custodial sentences of 12 months or less via the Sentencing Bill, and expanding Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), which aim to reduce reoffending by diverting individuals from short custodial sentences into enhanced community-based orders.
We are not, however, abolishing short sentences. Judges will always have the power to send offenders to prison where they have breached a court order, where there is a significant risk of physical or psychological harm to a particular individual, or in exceptional circumstances.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the reoffending outcomes for adults released from short custodial sentences; and what steps he is taking to improve those outcomes.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We publish proven reoffending statistics quarterly, including detailed data by sentence type, offence type, and offender characteristics. The next publication is due at the end of January 2026 (Proven reoffending statistics - GOV.UK).
We are tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes education, employment, accommodation and access to substance misuse treatment.
For example, to support employment, we are delivering vocational courses, a future skills programme, and expanding the prisoner apprenticeship scheme. All 93 resettlement prisons have key roles in place to prepare prisoners for employment on release, and we have launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation, and the Department for Work and Pensions to support prison leavers.
Reoffending rates for adults sentenced to less than 12 months in custody remain high – in the latest data, just over 60% reoffended within a year. Ministry of Justice research shows that community orders and suspended sentences are up to 4 percentage points more effective at reducing reoffending than short custodial sentences. That is why we are introducing a presumption to suspend custodial sentences of 12 months or less via the Sentencing Bill, and expanding Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), which aim to reduce reoffending by diverting individuals from short custodial sentences into enhanced community-based orders.
We are not, however, abolishing short sentences. Judges will always have the power to send offenders to prison where they have breached a court order, where there is a significant risk of physical or psychological harm to a particular individual, or in exceptional circumstances.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of offenders who commit a further offence within the one-year follow-up period used in reoffending statistics.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We publish proven reoffending statistics quarterly, including detailed data by sentence type, offence type, and offender characteristics. The next publication is due at the end of January 2026 (Proven reoffending statistics - GOV.UK).
We are tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes education, employment, accommodation and access to substance misuse treatment.
For example, to support employment, we are delivering vocational courses, a future skills programme, and expanding the prisoner apprenticeship scheme. All 93 resettlement prisons have key roles in place to prepare prisoners for employment on release, and we have launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation, and the Department for Work and Pensions to support prison leavers.
Reoffending rates for adults sentenced to less than 12 months in custody remain high – in the latest data, just over 60% reoffended within a year. Ministry of Justice research shows that community orders and suspended sentences are up to 4 percentage points more effective at reducing reoffending than short custodial sentences. That is why we are introducing a presumption to suspend custodial sentences of 12 months or less via the Sentencing Bill, and expanding Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), which aim to reduce reoffending by diverting individuals from short custodial sentences into enhanced community-based orders.
We are not, however, abolishing short sentences. Judges will always have the power to send offenders to prison where they have breached a court order, where there is a significant risk of physical or psychological harm to a particular individual, or in exceptional circumstances.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review the effectiveness of custodial sentences of under 12 months in reducing levels of reoffending.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We publish proven reoffending statistics quarterly, including detailed data by sentence type, offence type, and offender characteristics. The next publication is due at the end of January 2026 (Proven reoffending statistics - GOV.UK).
We are tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes education, employment, accommodation and access to substance misuse treatment.
For example, to support employment, we are delivering vocational courses, a future skills programme, and expanding the prisoner apprenticeship scheme. All 93 resettlement prisons have key roles in place to prepare prisoners for employment on release, and we have launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation, and the Department for Work and Pensions to support prison leavers.
Reoffending rates for adults sentenced to less than 12 months in custody remain high – in the latest data, just over 60% reoffended within a year. Ministry of Justice research shows that community orders and suspended sentences are up to 4 percentage points more effective at reducing reoffending than short custodial sentences. That is why we are introducing a presumption to suspend custodial sentences of 12 months or less via the Sentencing Bill, and expanding Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), which aim to reduce reoffending by diverting individuals from short custodial sentences into enhanced community-based orders.
We are not, however, abolishing short sentences. Judges will always have the power to send offenders to prison where they have breached a court order, where there is a significant risk of physical or psychological harm to a particular individual, or in exceptional circumstances.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the level of reoffending rates of people convicted of immigration offences and sentenced to short custodial terms.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The term “immigration related offences” covers a wide range of offending behaviour including making illegal entry to the country, overstaying leave to remain, employing illegal workers and facilitating breaches of immigration law.
As a result, providing reoffending data across all of these offence types would come at disproportionate cost and it is difficult to make generalised assumptions about future risk of offending.
More broadly the Government is tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes education, employment, accommodation and access to substance misuse treatment.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the risk of reoffending of individuals convicted of immigration-related offences.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The term “immigration related offences” covers a wide range of offending behaviour including making illegal entry to the country, overstaying leave to remain, employing illegal workers and facilitating breaches of immigration law.
As a result, providing reoffending data across all of these offence types would come at disproportionate cost and it is difficult to make generalised assumptions about future risk of offending.
More broadly the Government is tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes education, employment, accommodation and access to substance misuse treatment.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data he holds on the rate of reoffending of people convicted of immigration-related offences.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The term “immigration related offences” covers a wide range of offending behaviour including making illegal entry to the country, overstaying leave to remain, employing illegal workers and facilitating breaches of immigration law.
As a result, providing reoffending data across all of these offence types would come at disproportionate cost and it is difficult to make generalised assumptions about future risk of offending.
More broadly the Government is tackling the root causes of reoffending by investing in a range of services which address offenders’ underlying criminogenic needs and support their rehabilitation journey. This includes education, employment, accommodation and access to substance misuse treatment.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the decision to cancel mayoral elections in 2026 in (a) Essex and (b) other areas with cancelled mayoral elections on Police and Crime Commissioners.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following Ministerial and official consideration, we are minded to hold inaugural mayoral elections for the four Devolution Priority Programme places that are also undertaking local government reorganisation – including Greater Essex – in May 2028 rather than May 2026, so that areas can complete the reorganisation process before Mayors take office.
Subject to constituent authorities’ consent, we will establish the Mayoral Strategic Authorities in all areas as soon as possible, to ensure sufficient time for preparatory work ahead of the Mayor taking office and allowing areas to build local collaboration. This was announced to the House on 4 December and communicated to the constituent councils on 3 December.
We remain committed to the long-term funding offer to all DPP areas announced on 4 December. We will provide £1 million Mayoral Capacity Funding for all areas following the laying of the secondary legislation, and a minimum of £3 million over the following three financial years. Greater Essex will receive a third of their annual investment fund in both 2026 and 2027, and receive their full annual allocations thereafter.
We will establish Mayoral Strategic Authorities as we have proposed. The Greater Essex Combined County Authority’s constituent councils will remain Essex County, Thurrock and Southend on Sea councils. We will continue to encourage constituent councils to work with district councils including Basildon, as well as close collaboration between the new Mayoral Strategic Authorities on the DPP, including ahead of the inaugural mayoral election. We are working with relevant Government Departments to ensure an effective transfer of police and fire function.