Genuinely local government can be enhanced as a result of today’s decision to keep councils close to communities, the Local Councils Network (LCN) has said.
LCN – formerly the District Councils’ Network – was responding to today’s Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government announcement on how district and county councils will be merged in six county areas.
The statement from Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed today offers the most significant insight so far on how the biggest reorganisation of English councils in the past half century will proceed. When completed the process will impact on the lives of over 20 million people, resulting in the abolition of 164 district and 21 county councils.
The Government broadly adopted a model of reorganisation, long campaigned for by LCN and our predecessor organisation, which retains a significant number of councils, each dedicated to the needs of a specific place. In most cases, councils’ population will be significantly below 500,000 – the level the Government initially set out as the minimum.
Most LCN member councils support the creation of smaller unitary councils, although not all councils affected by today’s announcement back the model chosen for their place.
In response, Cllr Richard Wright, Chair of the Local Councils Network, said:
“The Government has listened to local people’s views and retained the ‘local’ in local government. We strongly welcome the decisions in Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
“In just about every consultation that’s ever taken place on local government reorganisation, local people have backed councils that remain close to communities.
“We have long campaigned for councils to be as close to communities as possible to ensure that every resident’s voice is heard and high-quality frontline services can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each place.
“The evidence shows that smaller unitary councils are just as likely to perform well and to be financially sustainable as larger ones. The best way to ensure a strong focus on local growth and prevention – which will bring enduring economic and health benefits – is to have councils that are genuinely local.
“Most of the new councils announced today will have populations significantly below 500,000 – and we believe this should set a precedent for the transformation of local government in all the 14 remaining areas.
“It’s vital that we capitalise on this opportunity to make structural change part of a more ambitious approach to reforming, integrating and modernising local public services.
“Now that decisions have been taken, the Local Councils Network will work closely with all councils and central government to ensure that all new councils are implemented safely and effectively. This is a once in a generation opportunity to transform local services, which we must fully embrace.”
