Press Release : WickExit 🆘 Challenges Basildon Council Over Debt and Arena Costs 

Wickford Residents Community Group, Wickford 🆘, will question Basildon Council’s leadership and opposition at the next council meeting on 29 January over the authority’s rapidly escalating debt and the proposed new Arena.

Wickford 🆘 will ask:

“Will the Leader of the Council  reveal the total cost of the Arena project to date, including all capital and revenue spending, sunk costs, professional and advisory fees, financing or interest costs, and any other liabilities incurred or contractually committed?”

Residents should be aware that 51p in every £1 raised by Basildon Council is now spent servicing debt, compared with an Essex average of just 10p.

Chris Jackman, Wickford 🆘 admin and Stop the Garden Tax campaigner, said it is nearly three years since Stop the Garden Tax first exposed what has become a national crisis in council finances. This year alone, more than 30 councils have sought emergency government bailouts, it’s disastrous for some taxpayers.

Wickford 🆘 has discovered Basildon’s debt is growing at an unsustainable rate and fears any savings promised through Local Government Reorganisation may never materialise. The Local Government Association’s 2024 Autumn Budget submission confirms that 42.1% of councils drew on reserves in both 2022/23 and 2023/24.

An estimated £30–40 million Arena project risks pushing Basildon further into financial danger, leaving taxpayers funding debt rather than services. A potential merger with Thurrock raises the spectre of a “terrible twins” tax timebomb. A PwC report warned residents could face up to 30 years  before any savings appear—and that was before the Arena proposal.

“This is a train wreck in slow motion,” said Jackman. “The PwC report gave a clear warning.”

No political party sought a mandate to demolish the Towngate Theatre or build a new Arena. This was not what residents voted for and represents a serious failure of democratic accountability.

Wickford 🆘 has contacted all Basildon political group leaders but received no response, raising concerns residents are being stitched up behind closed doors.

To protect taxpayers and force transparency, Wickford 🆘 will formally raise this question at the 29 January 2026 Council meeting.

For Comment

Wickfordsos@gmail.com

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 LGRconsultationresponse@communities.gov.uk

Subject  “LGR consultation - Wickford”

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Dear Sir

Across every model, Wickford should leave the Borough of Basildon and be placed within a Mid-Essex authority. 

This reflects how the area already operates in practice and ensures that administrative boundaries match reality. The case is demonstrated across key public services:

    •    Church & Community: Wickford and Runwell form one Church of England parish (St Andrew’s, St Catherine’s and St Mary’s) with joint activities and community projects. They function as a single civic community, not a Basildon-centred one. The current boundary is impractical, even splitting a house between authorities.

    •    Health Services: Wickford’s Primary Care Network sits within the Mid & South Essex ICS footprint (Basildon & Brentwood). London Road Surgery in Wickford serves both Wickford and Runwell, with its catchment already extending into Runwell. Health provision recognises a Mid-Essex relationship, not a Basildon-centric one.

    •    Education: Runwell Community Primary School serves the village, and secondary provision is predominantly through Wickford / Basildon-area schools (e.g., Beauchamps High School). Educational pathways clearly align Wickford and Runwell together as one community.

    •    Emergency Services: Essex Police publish a Wickford neighbourhood area that includes both Wickford and Runwell. Essex Fire & Rescue list Wickford Fire Station as the local on-call station serving the area. Operational response already treats the communities as one unit.

    •    Transport & Planning: ECC’s A Better Connected Essex programme places Wickford within the Mid-Essex transport planning area. Aligning local government boundaries with this transport footprint supports coherent infrastructure investment under a Mid-Essex authority.

Therefore, under every model being considered, Wickford should be transferred away from Basildon Borough and placed into a Mid-Essex authority. This would align administration with the community that already exists in practice.

Kind Regards

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 WickExiT Press Release 6 

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