ESSEX County Council could need as many as an additional 29 employees in order to restructure local government services. Ironically, one of the aims of restructiring is to cut costs!

The additional capacity to prepare for devolution and local government reorganisation in greater Essex is expected to cost about £2.5m – although government grants to cover some of the costs could be available.

Leader of Essex County Council Councillor Kevin Bentley has said the council is in the final stages of preparing businesses cases – in all probability there will be two – which will offer a view on the right number and configuration of the new unitary councils. The single-tier local government responsible for all local government service is set to replace the current two tier system of a county council, 12 districts and the two councils of Southend and Thurrock.

Councillor Bentley has also reiterated his view that multiple unitary authorities would not be cost effective. He said: "If we create too many councils, we risk bankrupting the whole council system in Essex, as new councils will effectively go bust before they even start. It will mean less services for you. It will also result in significant extra costs for you, that cannot be justified."

He added: "This is not just a matter of numbers on a spreadsheet but about the duty of care we owe to you as an Essex resident. By having fewer councils, there will be more money to spend on building new homes, better local facilities and job opportunities.

"Can we in all good conscience compromise offering Essex residents new homes and jobs because we've spent the money on more councillors and red tape? I don't believe we can.

"Of course, designing new councils isn't just about finance, as important as that is. They must be responsive to communities. But larger unitary councils are not a barrier to listening well and providing local services which work for local people.

"We can involve town and parish councils, for instance, to increase current levels of localism, as well as utilising our existing estate to create local community hubs. I have met the parish councils in my own division for instance and given them a real say over things like highways repairs."

Lib Dem Councillor Stephen Robinson is concerned Essex Conservatives are scaremongering about future services, in the hope of making their case for creating very large "super councils". He added Essex County Council costs per case are higher than Southend and Thurrock which he says indicates unitary councils that cover a smaller area than a county can in fact better control their costs.

He said: "I am concerned that Essex Conservatives are scaremongering about future services, in the hope of making their case for creating very large "super councils" – which would be remote from residents and unaccountable."

The council in the meantime says it needs extra capacity to prepare for change and deliver full plans – including the preferred number of unitary authorities – which are to be formally submitted to the government by September. A statement added: "The Greater Essex political and organisational landscape is complex and, based on engagement with other authorities with devolution deals, advance preparation ahead of any deal and appropriate leadership capacity are essential.

"There is currently inadequate leadership capacity within Essex County Council due to ongoing delivery of the Whole Council Transformation and simultaneous focus on delivering high-quality services to the residents of Essex. The requirement for significant change and elements of this transformation is significant and could lead to delays should the preparedness be incomplete."