Essex County Council could be taken to court over plans to consider allowing private firms to take over all of the authority’s services.

Lawyers employed by the Labour Party are considering whether the county council’s invitation for bids to run some or all of its services, published in the Official Journal of the European Union, is contrary to a number of laws.

Councillors believe a judicial review could take place, particularly over a lack of consultation.

At a full meeting of the council yesterday, leader Lord Hanningfield dismissed concerns about the plans to award an eight-year contract of up to £5.4 billion, saying his aim was not to outsource but to save £200 million a year and spend it on frontline services instead.

He said: “I want to take £200 million from the process and put it into frontline services.

“That means more work on our roads, more work for elderly people and better children’s services."

Labour group leader Cllr Paul Kirkman, who had tabled and then withdrawn a bid to end the tender process, said after the meeting he was prepared to push for a judicial review, because he and others had not been informed of the plans before the tender.

“We have looked at what they’ve done and the steps they have taken to do it and we’ve consulted our lawyers and we feel we have a case,” he said.

“What would be ideal for me would be for them to accept our protest, and go back and do a proper consultation among the staff and the people of Essex, and then go forward with an agreed position on that.

“The next stage is we need to see if we go for a judicial review.

“That would be really expensive for everyone, and would take an exceptionally long time, so I hope we don’t have to go there, but I’m not going to blink.”

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