ESSEX council leaders are to lobby the Government for more powers.

The leaders, chief executives and senior officers from the majority of Essex councils met earlier this month to discuss “ambitious” devolution ideas to put to Whitehall.

On Wednesday, Chancellor George Osborne announced plans for Greater Manchester to keep all of the growth in business rates collected in the area.

A trial will also take place in Cambridgeshire.

Half of the money collected in busines rates usually go to Whitehall.

Essex County Council leader David Finch said: “We welcome the Chancellor’s Budget announcement of the greater steps being taken towards devolving more powers away from Whitehall to our local areas.

“But this should be the start, not the limit of the empowerment of local places across England.

“Devolution is an opportunity to revitalise our democracy and will unlock economic growth.

“We should not disenfranchise Essex businesses and make our young people feel like secondclass citizens because we don’t have these powers as well.

“The Government’s acknowledgement that the current system needs to change is an encouraging step in the right direction.

“We will definitely be looking to take advantage of the Chancellor’s open door offer to discuss the possibility of Essex receiving the same deal as Cambridge and Manchester.”

A letter, signed by all the main council movers and shakers in Essex, outlining their interest in devolution, has been sent to the Communities Secretary and Brentwood MP Eric Pickles.

Tensions were caused late last year when County Hall withdrew from cash-lobbying group Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership, without informing any of the other councils until it had made its decision.

The group had been influential in netting £115million of local enterprise funding for the south of the county last year, with millions of this going on A127 improvements.

Now the unitary authorities in Southend and Thurrock have set up another joint group, and have invited other south Essex councils to sign up.