Three areas invited to submit bids for unitary councils

Ministers have formally asked local authorities in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset to put forward proposals on scrapping districts and county councils in their areas.

In a statement, the government said the invitations have been issued to those three areas because they are all ‘advanced in their discussions’ and the councils have all have asked for an invitation to be issued.

The local authorities now have the opportunity to decide whether to develop and submit their plans with the aim of any new unitary councils being established in these areas by April 2023.

‘Councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset are already working on developing their locally-led unitary proposals and I am now giving them the opportunity to submit them for consideration,’ said housing secretary Robert Jenrick.

‘Where there is local support, changing the structure of local government can offer better value for money and improved services for residents. We have always been clear that any restructuring of local government must continue to be locally-led and will not involve top-down solutions from government.’

In August, the County Councils Network (CCN) published a report, which claimed merging districts and county councils in England could deliver £3bn in savings over five years and ‘maximise’ the benefits of economic growth and housing policy.

But the District Councils Network hit back with a report of its own, which warned bigger local authorities are not necessarily ‘better or cheaper’.

Responding to the latest news, CCN chairman Cllr David Williams welcomed the announcement.

‘Over the coming months we will work closely with these councils as they develop business cases to submit to Government for consideration,’ said Cllr Williams.

‘Our research with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) earlier this year showed there is a compelling case supporting their proposals for the establishment of single unitary authorities in their areas, with this maximising the financial and economic benefits of reform, while retaining local identity across credible geographies.

‘This announcement is an important first step towards greater devolution in shire counties. We look forward to working with ministers as they finalise the Devolution White Paper, and we remain committed to supporting all our councils wishing to explore unitary governance, alongside alternative reforms, as outlined in the secretary of state’s statement,’ he added.

Photo Credit – Tim Hill (Pixabay)