As a borough councillor for 13 years and a county councillor for six years, I can perhaps look at the idea of Colchester "divorcing" Essex County Council to become a unitary authority with some balance.

This is raised at nearly every election by the Lib Dems and has again been part of their manifesto but I have asked why this has not been looked at before. They have been in control, with Labour and the Highwoods Independents, for 12 years now.

Why have they not looked in to it in all that time?

I asked over Twitter and eventually received a response, that "divorce" was complicated and expensive.

So why include it in the manifesto if they have no plans to look in to it or implement it?

As a "double hatter" I think I have an answer.

Colchester may be too small to be a unitary on its own. I’ve seen first hand that it’s not all plain sailing with Thurrock and Southend, which are already unitary authorities, and they get left out of major decisions and funding.

If Colchester did become a unitary authority they would have to go in with another local authority - Tendring, Maldon or Braintree.

This is the crux of why the Lib Dems have not proactively worked on this in the 12 years they have been in power - they know if they went unitary and went in with another authority they would lose control of the council.

I do not know which way I would vote if there was a vote tomorrow. It would depend on whether it was the best for Colchester.

I’ve also seen from another perspective how awkward Colchester Council can be against Essex County Council.

For more than a year the then Lib Dem leader refused to allow Highway meetings at the Town Hall despite residents needing to attend and all other councils in Essex allowing the panel a room. So it works both ways.

Yes "divorce" can be expensive and painful, but at least after 12 years in control I would have expected the Lib Dems to have had the conversation.

Cllr Sue Lissimore

Borough councillor for Prettygate ward and county councillor for Drury division