Local government

Kelly welcomes proposals to improve local services: 26 local authorities bid to move to single tier local Government

Published 26 January 2007

Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly today confirmed that Government had received 26 proposals from councils across England wishing to become unitary authorities, and welcomed the options for strong leadership, increased efficiency, better value for money and reduced council tax they potentially offer.

In October 2006 Government invited councils in two-tier areas to submit proposals for unitary status. This was in recognition of potential obstacles to providing that strong, clear, local leadership needed for place-shaping, and effective and responsive public services - such as confusion among residents on the respective responsibilities of the tiers, duplication of services and inefficiencies between tiers. Government has received 26 proposals (set out at Annex A) which will now be considered carefully against the criteria published in the Invitation.

In remaining two-tier areas Government expects all councils to pursue new working  arrangements to achieve the same level of improvement and efficiency gains as we expect the new unitaries will be achieving. As part of this, Government also invited councils to submit proposals to pioneer, as pathfinders, new models of two-tier working. Five proposals have been submitted to Government (see table below) which will now be considered.

Local Government Secretary, Ruth Kelly, said:

"I am pleased to see that these local authorities are keen to improve the services they offer to their communities and welcome the debate which the invitation has generated across the country on this issue.

"Our goal has always been to ensure that the services on offer to our communities are responsive, effective and efficient. We have always made it clear that the status quo is not an option. In some areas new unitary councils may be the way forward, and in all continuing two-tier areas councils must improve the way they work with each other.

"We will assess the bids received against the strict criteria as laid out in the invitation, these include an expectation of a broad cross section of local support, increased efficiency gains and all costs arising from reorganisation being met locally without increasing council tax. We will announce in March which unitary bids will go forward for stakeholder consultation."

Communities and Local Government is also setting up a working group with representitives from the LGA and public service Unions to look at the implications of reorganisations. It will look at the practical arangements for implementing new Unitary authorities.

Notes to editors

Any change to future unitary local government structures must be: 

  • affordable, ie that the change itself both represents value for money and can be met from councils' existing resource envelope; and
  • supported by a broad cross section of partners and stakeholders; and
  • those future unitary local government structures must: 
    • provide strong, effective and accountable strategic leadership;
    • deliver genuine opportunities for neighbourhood flexibility and empowerment; and
    • deliver value for money and equity on public services.

The Government stated in the Invitation issued to councils in October 2006 that it will be unlikely to be able to implement more than eight proposals; that the final number of proposals that will be implemented will depend crucially on the content of local authority submissions and the potential impact on public expenditure totals if these proposals were approved; and that this expected number would not preclude Government from deciding to implement more if they offered good value for money and were affordable. No decisions on the final number of proposals that will be implemented will be taken until all of the bids received have been fully considered.

UNITARY PROPOSALS

 
 1. Bedford Borough Council Bedford unitary 
 2. Bedfordshire County Council County unitary  
 3. Cheshire County Council County unitary
 4. Chester City Council 2 unitary  option for Cheshire
 5. Cornwall County Council County unitary 
 6. Cornwall districts County unitary
 7. Cumbria County Council County unitary 
 8. Durham County Council County unitary 
 9. Durham districts Proposal for future unitary status
 10. East Riding UA East Riding and Selby 
 11. Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council 3 unitary option for Cheshire
 12. Exeter City Council Exeter unitary
 13. Ipswich Borough Council Ipswich unitary
 14. Lancaster City Council Lancaster unitary
 15. Mid Bedfordshire District Council & South Bedfordshire District Council unitary covering both districts
 16. North Yorkshire County Council County unitary
 17. Northumberland County Council County unitary
 18. Northumberland districts councils 2 unitary option for Northumberland
 19. Norwich City Council Norwich unitary 
 20. Oxford City Council 3 unitary option for Oxfordshire
 21. Pendle Borough Council & Burnley Borough Council Burnley and Pendle unitary 
 22. Preston City Council Preston unitary
 23. Shropshire County Council County unitary 
 24. Somerset County Council County unitary 
 25. South Somerset District Council East Somerset unitary 
 26. Wiltshire County Council County unitary 


TWO-TIER PATHFINDERS  
1. Buckinghamshire  
 2. Dorset  
 3. Hertfordshire  
 4. Lincolnshire  
 5. Suffolk (excluding Ipswich Borough Council)  


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