Councils unite against Suffolk proposals
Council leaders across Suffolk have hit out at proposals to split the county in two as part of a major shake-up of local government.
The Boundary Committee announced proposals on Monday to create an authority for Greater Ipswich and one for the rest of Suffolk without Lowestoft – although it said there was 'merit' in a single unitary for the whole county except Lowestoft.
Under the plans, Lowestoft would join with a single unitary covering all of Norfolk, while smaller community boards could be created in both counties with budgets to spend on local priorities.
St Edmundsbury, Forest Heath and parts of Babergh, Mid Suffolk, Suffolk Coastal and Waveney districts would come together to form an authority with a population of around 395,000.
St Edmundsbury borough councillor Paul Farmer said: "We're against it at the moment – we were very surprised that the West Suffolk unitary, which was supported by six councils out of eight, doesn't appear to have been considered. For staff and councillors, that's a disappointment."
Forest Heath District Council leader, Cllr Geoffrey Jaggard, said: "We are extremely disappointed by this recommendation which, if implemented, would ignore the feelings of our local residents."
He added: "This does not appear to be a good solution for the people in West Suffolk or for local democracy."
Suffolk County Council leader Cllr Jeremy Pembroke said: "I think it's an odd decision. I thought it was possible they might come up with a greater Ipswich, but I'm surprised by the size of it. I simply don't understand the rationale, but I'm pleased the One Suffolk concept is still very much in the frame."
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index. I’ve always advocated a single unitary authority for the whole of Suffolk and I don’t see that splitting it is the way to proceed.”
Although it is not yet known how much the proposals would cost, in Breckland, there were fears that residents could see their Council Tax raised, with the Boundary Committee suggesting levels should be ‘equalised’ across each unitary.
Cllr William Nunn, leader of Breckland Council, said: “These are ludicrous proposals; our residents will end up paying twice as much as now with no benefits to show for it.
“Residents will forfeit their voice in a vast unitary council, covering more than 840,000 residents, or completely lose any sense of local identity, forgotten as a poor relation, dominated by more urban areas.”
David Ruffley, Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, accused the committee of attempting to ‘fiddle the map’ around where Labour voters were.
He said: “This decision is not about saving money – if the Government wanted to do that, they would have taken the axe to the ridiculous number of unelected bureaucrats that dominate regional affairs.”
Cllr Daniel Cox, leader of Norfolk County Council, said: “We submitted a very strong and clear case for a new, single unitary council based on hard evidence.
“I’m pleased that the committee has recognised the strength of our carefully considered case and look forward to hearing views in the weeks ahead.
“It is the least disruptive in terms of its impact on the ‘big ticket’ services such as social care and education and I am pleased the draft proposal keeps Norfolk and Norwich together.”
In a letter to the committee earlier this year, Suffolk’s Chief Constable, Simon Ash said a smaller number of unitary authorities would be easier for police to work with. He added that creating extra partner agencies would be ‘very difficult, if not impossible, for a small force such as Suffolk Constabulary to support’.
Responding to Monday’s announcement, he said: “The proposals, and what impact they may have on policing in Suffolk, will need to be considered.”
Meanwhile, the Suffolk Preservation Society said it believed the plans had been ‘poorly thought through’.
Richard Ward, the society’s director, said: “The committee is putting in the main structure before considering how it is going to delegate powers to the rural parish councils, which is surely wrong.
“Another obvious danger is that the existing parish and town councils will be swallowed up by these larger authorities, which will minimise local voice and influence over the shaping of the county’s future identity.”
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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