The election of the first directly elected Mayor of Essex was postponed by government in December 2025 from May 2026 until May 2028 to allow more time for local government reorganisation and for local councils to establish new Mayoral Strategic Authorities.

Ahead of a future mayoral election, the Essex Climate Action Commission has published twelve calls to action, which act as a series of recommendations for the new Mayor. These calls to action can be downloaded here.

The Commission was established in 2020 to set out recommendations to Essex County Council on tackling the climate crisis. Since then, it has advised on and supported significant actions across energy, transport, built environment, land use, waste and water, many of which have been led by Essex County Council.

The recommendations from the Commission suggest that what Essex needs next is for a newly elected mayor to build on the excellent work to date. New homes should be built to passive house standards, keeping bills low and reducing pressure on the energy grid. Existing homes should be upgraded to cut fuel poverty and new developments should meet the highest standards of water and energy efficiency. Farmers, landowners and conservation groups should be supported in reducing flood risk, protecting water supply and expanding biodiversity.

Essex has strong potential for renewable and community energy and a mayor with direct government access would be well placed to attract the investment needed. Investing in sustainable transport, active travel and cleaner infrastructure would increase access to jobs, services and education, boost town centre footfall and create safer, more liveable communities.

Skills underpin all of this. The Commission suggests the mayor should invest in key growth sectors and provide skills and training opportunities in retrofit, clean technology and regenerative agriculture. Any new mayor should also support schools and colleges to champion sustainability.

The mayoral election in 2028 is the next opportunity to build on the work that the Commission, Essex County Council, other local councils and community groups have done. The Commission believes these calls to action and the challenges they address should be at the heart of the new mayor's agenda.

For more information on Local Government Reorganisation and the mayoral elections, 

For more information on Local Government Reorganisation and the mayoral elections, visit Essex County Council's devolution pages.

Download the calls to action here.