Election could be delayed 'to avoid wasting £1 million' ahead of council reorganisation
A vote today could see next year's Somerset County Council elections postponed to save £1 million - while plans to shake up the current system are decided.
The county council are proposing a 'One Somerset' change, which would abolish the district councils and have one unitary authority with 15 to 20 new Local Community Networks - saving £18.5 million a year.
The rival 'Stronger Somerset bid' will see plans for a Western Somerset Council and an Eastern Somerset Council - potentially saving £204 million over 10 years.
A report going before Somerset County Council recommends: "Council supports the Leader to make a request to the Secretary of State to defer the scheduled 2021 county council elections until such time as the Secretary of State determines to hold a County Council election as part of the transition towards a new local government structure for Somerset”.
It adds: "Should the Secretary of State decide to implement local government reorganisation, and Parliament approve legislation establishing a new unitary council with elections to the new council in the year it is created, then County Councillors elected in May 2021 would serve for only one or two years, depending on implementation timescales, before the role is abolished.
"Elections in such circumstances risk confusing voters and would involve significant costs (in excess of £1m) that would be hard to justify and could be better used to meet Somerset’s priorities.
"The Secretary of State is expected to make a decision on their preferred proposal between June and July 2021. Implementation will begin at that point, including the necessary legislation (a Structural Change Order being laid before Parliament) to permit the creation of any new local government structure for Somerset."
For more about about Stronger Somerset click here
For more about One Somerset click here