Healey approves nine unitary council bids

26 Jul 07
Nine of the 16 bids for unitary status submitted by English local authorities have been given the green light by local government minister John Healey.

27 July 2007

Nine of the 16 bids for unitary status submitted by English local authorities have been given the green light by local government minister John Healey.

Announcing the results on July 25, Healey said all the bids had been rigorously assessed. 'They have to prove their proposals can improve services for local people and bring potential savings for council tax payers,' he added. 'It will now be for these new unitary authorities to ensure they deliver these plans — empowering local people and communities, further improving local services, realising greater efficiencies and delivering improved economic prosperity for their areas.'

Five of the nine were from counties: Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire. The others were from borough and city authorities: Bedford, Chester, Exeter and Ipswich.

But these four have been asked to undertake further work to 'demonstrate conclusively' their financial viability. Final approval will be given once the Local Government Bill has been enacted.

The application from Norwich City Council has been referred to the Boundary Committee. Officials concluded that there was a strong case for a unitary authority but it was not viable with the council's current boundaries.

Healey says the move to unitary structures in these areas will generate £150m in savings by reducing the number of councils from 46 to 11. They are expected to be up and running from 2009.

Local Government Association chair Sir Simon Milton said it would now work with all the authorities, winners and losers, to ensure the most effective service delivery.

PFjul2007

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