Local councils react to major shake-up

Politicians have welcomed changes to a 50-year-old two-tier council system - but some have described the postponement of local elections as "appalling".

The government announced on Wednesday it would be fast-tracking plans to merge Suffolk's county, district and borough councils into a new unitary authority with a directly elected mayor.

Suffolk is one of nine areas that will have its county council elections postponed for a year to allow for the reorganisation as part of the changes.

Many of the councils welcomed the major shake-up, but some said the changes to elections were taking power away from residents.

Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, told Parliament on Wednesday that the postponement would pave the way for a "generational power shift from Whitehall to the town hall".

She argued that if elections were to be held for authorities due to be scrapped, it would be "an expensive and irresponsible waste of taxpayers' money".

The shake-up of local councils was announced by the government last year, with the aim of driving economic growth and streamlining services.

Suffolk County Council leader Matthew Hicks described the news as a "major win" that would enable fast and "ambitious changes".

"Devolution and council reorganisation will mean we can secure and free-up funding to plough directly back into public services that benefit our residents," he said.

"This is a major win for Suffolk and one that will be welcomed by those who want to see efficiency, accountability and streamlined delivery of council services."

Andrew Stringer, the leader of the opposition group of the Greens, Liberal Democrats and Independents at the county council, argued the local elections should still take place as originally planned.

"We should have elections in May to get a mandate for what we want to do in Suffolk and to negotiate this with government – the county council will be out of a mandate," he said.

He agreed with unitary authorities in principle and said "this is a good way to go".

However, he felt currently there was "too much potential power in too few hands" when it came to negotiating with the government over a devolution deal.

Christopher Hudson, who is the only Reform councillor at the county council, added: "The timing and optics of cancelling the election are both wrong.

"What is the price of democracy? It's worth every penny. You take that away from people and you pay a heavy fine later on."

Green Party member and Babergh District Council leader, Deborah Saw, welcomed the devolution plan.

However she said it must "deliver real change and improvements".

"We must ensure there is clear evidence that any reorganisation will result in the best outcomes for our communities – whilst preserving local democracy, expertise and accountability," she said.

She added that political power "must not be moved away from residents".

Andy Mellen, the Mid Suffolk District Council leader and member of the Green Party, said he was "appalled" by the postponement of local elections.

He described it as "unnecessary" and "an erosion of our democracy".

"We must now work together to ensure the changes, plus any further reorganisation of local government, make a real difference to the quality of life for our residents," he said.

"People want high-quality, value for money services that help our communities thrive – not simply a redrawing of council boundaries.

"Democratic accountability must be protected, with services delivered by those who know their communities best."

Caroline Topping, leader of East Suffolk Council and Green Party member, said she was "amazed and disappointed" that residents would be "denied democracy" with the postponement of elections.

"Devolution could still proceed without it and taking the voice of our county's residents away is a clear backward step," she added.

She said the council was "supportive in principle" with the devolution plan, but she said it must support communities and not be rushed.

Labour and West Suffolk council leader, Cliff Waterman, welcomed the news from government.

He said the focused would be on ensuring residents and businesses were at "the heart of any change".

"We will now be looking to maximise the benefits and efficiencies reorganisation can produce, while protecting services," he added.

"However, residents must be as close as possible to where decisions are being made on the services, they use every day and initiatives that will affect them."

Neil MacDonald, Labour leader of Ipswich Borough Council, said the council welcomed the devolution announcement.

"We are intent on ensuring that, once elected, the new mayor for Suffolk and Norfolk makes a positive difference to Ipswich," he said.

"With regard to Local Government Reorganisation, we maintain our position that Ipswich, as Suffolk's county town, must have a prominent place in any new local government arrangements."

Hold onto your hats - this will be a very bumpy ride.

For years there has been talk of giving councils more power and money; the idea being that local people best know the needs of their local communities.

The proposal has taken off in some parts of the country but attempts to do it in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk have always ended in acrimony.

Now the new government has decided that devolution is the way forward and it is not going to let local squabbling get in the way.

The public will probably not be that interested in the proposed changes. Most people just want good, efficiently run, public services. The row that will inevitably follow today's news will be a political one.

The sticking point has always been the reluctance of district and borough councils to be abolished.

They believe that they provide a local connection between local government and voters in a way that larger devolved authorities never can. Their councillors also make up a large part of a party's grass roots membership, which is why the last government was reluctant to ruffle feathers.

But this government has told councils to agree the boundaries for these new look authorities by the end of the year or else they'll be imposed.

So local politicians are going to have to find a way to work together and quickly if there is to be any local say in the future of local government.

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