County leaders push ahead for Warwickshire councils to be scrapped
WARWICKSHIRE County Council is pushing ahead with plans to scrap district and borough councils and form a county-wide unitary council even though opponents say the proposal has been rushed through.
Leader Cllr Izzi Seccombe (Con Stour and the Vale) chaired the August 27 extraordinary cabinet meeting when councillors unanimously agreed to submit the case for changing to a single unitary council. The matter will now come before full council on September 22.
Two other options could be considered ahead of a Government White Paper next month - retaining the current two-tier system or a unitary council split between the north and south of the county.
The county is currently run by the county council from Warwick and district and borough councils in different areas across the county.
Powers held by those local councils would, if these plans are approved, be taken on by the single county-wide authority. It would mean the running of parks, bin collections, council tax and leisure sites would all move to the centralised body.
Cllr Seccombe told the meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, that this was an opportunity to change local government for the good. She said: “We have seen the very best of all councils working together. We’ve seen the best but also shown the challenges and frustrations of the current system that puts blockages in place. This is an opportunity to start to address that.
“What we need to do at the start of this conversation is work together for the future and try to shape together what is the best solution for our residents and for our areas. If indeed the answer is a single county unity then it is absolutely imperative that we do a very strong double devolution and ensure that what we do see are areas that have the ability to shape and believe and be proud of their own place and their own community and their own particular histories.”
Cllr Julie Jackson, Labour leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said the decision to move to a unitary model was being rushed and urged the county council’s cabinet to slow down.
She said: “I urge cabinet even at this late stage to vote against this rushed report and give yourselves time to do the right thing. Listen to valued partners and most importantly don’t make assumptions about what residents of Warwickshire think but take the time to ask and value them.”
Cllr Adam Farrell of North Warwickshire Borough Council was given the opportunity to address the meeting along with representatives from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and Warwick District Council.
And he questioned the plausibility of the supporting report drawn up by consultants PWC.
He said: “I have been an elected councillor at differing levels of local government in Warwickshire for nearly a decade and in that time I have read many questionable reports but the one in front of you today really is a thing to behold.
“The report that is meant to assess options is really a 48-page begging letter to believe the unbelievable - that somehow Warwickshire can deliver change and level up our county which is rather strange considering that levelling up has never been achieved under any political party that has controlled the current Warwickshire-wide authority.
“If you live in northern Warwickshire today you are still more likely to be born into poverty, still more likely to leave school with lower qualifications, still more likely to live in poverty as an adult and still more likely to die younger.”
There was also criticism from the county council’s Labour group leader Cllr Helen Adkins (Leamington Willes) who said: “I think the report was rushed, it wasn’t of brilliant quality if we’re honest and I don’t think it was balanced. There was no consultation with the boroughs and districts and when I spoke to PWC they didn’t even seem to know who the leaders were which is quite horrific.”