Cotswold District Council backs single unitary council plan
The plans have been unanimously endorsed by the council.
Plans for a huge council for Gloucestershire have been unanimously endorsed by civic chiefs in the Cotswolds.
Cotswold District Council considered two of the proposals for local government reorganisation for the county at their meeting in Cirencester on Wednesday (November 26).
All of Gloucestershire’s seven principal authorities have been working together in recent months on two options for a council shake-up.
The most popular proposal among councils is for a single unitary council to serve a population of more than 660,000. which would cover the whole County Council area.
The other proposal, which is favoured by five out of the seven MPs in Gloucestershire, would involve splitting the county into two unitary authorities: one in the East with Cheltenham, Cotswolds and Tewkesbury serving 311,00 residents, with another in the West made up of Gloucester, Forest of Dean and Stroud with a population just shy of 350,000.
The work on local government reorganisation has been done to respond to the Government’s drive to change how council services are provided in England.
Gloucestershire is currently a two-tier authority area which means services are split between the County Council and the six districts.
Council leader Mike Evemy (LD, Siddington and Cerney Rural) presented the report at the meeting and proposed a single unitary council for Gloucestershire be submitted to ministers.
He said both the single unitary option or the East and West council proposal are viable proposals that could be implemented.
But on balance, he said “the single unitary council would provide a stronger and less disruptive basis for the delivery of services and a more robust and resilient financial position.”
“This is a big decision about whether and how local government is organised in Gloucestershire.
“But this isn’t our decision. It is a ministerial decision. The Government have decided they want to get rid of county councils and districts and boroughs and create unitary authorities.
“The Government will ultimately divide based on the proposals put forward to them which of those will be implemented.”
Conservative group leader Tom Stowe (C, Campden and Vale) “was delighted” to second the proposal.
He praised the significant amount of work undertaken by all the councils.
“Whatever one’s view of the two proposals, that sterling work deserves our recognition,” he said.
“This report makes clear that both the single unitary and the East-West options are, to varying degrees, credible.”
But he said the case for a single unitary council is “clearly stronger”.
“Indeed some of the original architects of the East-West concept have recognised this because of the detailed analysis carried out.”
“This is just the end of the beginning of the process. There is going to be a huge amount of work, upheaval and disruption on the horizon.
“It’s our job that we ensure we work towards what is best for all citizens of the district and wider county.”
Green Party Councillor Clare Turner (Blockley) said she had some sympathy with her colleagues in the Forest of Dean on their position to oppose all of the above options
“I do have reservations about this whole process as well,” she said.
She said the reduction of councillors from 295 to 110 is “going to make it harder for residents to have their voices heard and their issues championed by their elected representatives.
“But given where we are and that we do have to make a decision,” she added.
She said the East-West split and its financial impact on the West would see the county’s most vulnerable residents impacted and she would support the single unitary option.
The council voted unanimously to request that the cabinet propose the single unitary council for Gloucestershire.
And cabinet, which met shortly after the conclusion of the full council meeting, agreed to do so.
This result means Gloucestershire County Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council, Stroud District Council and now Cotswold District Council support the single unitary proposal.
Cheltenham Borough Council supported the East-West plans while Gloucester City Council supported the scheme they developed which would involve an expanded Greater Gloucester authority with a separate unitary council for the rest of the county.
The Forest of Dean District Council voted to opose all of the above options and raised serious concerns the process will lead to an erosion of local democracy.