Plan to scrap Warwickshire local councils agreed...

[dutchman]

Plans to scrap all the smaller councils in Warwickshire and replace them with a new single local authority have been approved despite opponents claiming they have been rushed through



County councillors agreed at an extraordinary cabinet meeting yesterday to submit the case for changing to a single unitary council, replacing the district and borough councils.

But the Labour group leader, Helen Adkins, said she believed a report supporting the plan had been rushed and added "it wasn’t of brilliant quality if we’re honest and I don’t think it was balanced".

The idea will go before the full council on 22 September.

It came as a report for the County Councils Network said abolishing 213 smaller councils in England and replacing them with 25 new local authorities could save almost £3bn over five years

But others argue bigger councils are unwieldy and undemocratic. The government is expected to publish its own proposals on overhauling local government in the autumn.

[rebbonk]

Plenty of savings to be had from the removal of duplication and other waste. - I wonder if these savings will be reflected in the council tax bills?

[dutchman]

Call to divide Warwickshire in two by north and south

Creating two councils - one to serve the North and another for the South may be the 'best option' for Warwickshire.

All five districts and borough councils say that having two Unitary Councils could be the way to solve the reform arguments for the county.

They commissioned Deloitte to look at the best options for the county ahead of the government white paper that looks at reform in local government.

It says that two Unitary Councils would also foster stronger local leadership, giving clearer lines of responsibility and accountability.

But, before they put forward formal proposals, the five districts say that residents should have their say.

Cabinet members at Warwickshire County Council have previously expressed their support for a single authority to manage the county's services.

However in a joint statement, the leaders of the five local councils said:

“The county is quite unusual in the sense that the north is clearly distinct from the south in all sorts of ways.

“We need to make sure we are focussing the right services on the right people.

“This report is clear that having two separate authorities will deliver the best outcome to our residents while saving money, but we now want to test that with residents and businesses as this conversation continues."