Full steam ahead for unitary councils in Bedfordshire

Published	28 March 2008

Plans for two pioneering new unitary authorities in Bedfordshire received parliamentary approval today. The councils, which will respectively cover Bedford and the remaining southern half of the County area, will lead the way in empowering communities, supporting growth and improving services.

The two new councils, which will be established from 1 April 2009, will together save over £18m each year, savings that can be directly invested into improving frontline services or used to reduce council tax bill pressures for over 400 thousand people.
Local Government Minister John Healey said:

"Parliamentary approval for these new unitary authorities puts the delivery of greater involvement of the public, stronger leadership, and better services at the heart of local governance.

"As with other areas, this will be a challenging time for the transition to the new authorities, but I am confident that all of the authorities implementing the new unitary councils will work constructively together to guarantee a better system of local governance for local people, businesses and communities."

Notes to editors

1. Bedford Borough and the new Central Bedfordshire Council will become unitary authorities on 1 April 2009, with populations respectively of 153,000 and 244,700. Elections to these new authorities will take place in May 2009.

2. Ahead of these elections, preparations in Bedford will be led by an appointed 'Implementation Executive' led by Bedford's directly elected mayor and comprising Bedford Borough and Bedfordshire County councillors.

3. In advance of elections in Central Bedfordshire there will be a shadow council comprising of all of the existing councillors of South and Mid Beds district councils and the county councillors for the Mid and South Beds electoral divisions. Preparations in Central Bedfordshire will be led by an appointed 'shadow executive' drawn - as specified in the Order - from the shadow council comprising of councillors from Mid and South Beds district councils and the County Council. As requested by the proposing authorities this shadow executive will be led by the Leader of Mid Beds District Council, and the deputy leader will be the Leader of South Beds District Council.

4. The Order also provides for the cancellation of district council elections due in Bedford Borough and South Beds District Council in 2008 and of parish council elections due in 2008 (pending the elections to the new councils in 2009).