More than one unitary for Suffolk “vital for services to work and residents to be heard”

This is the conclusion of the county’s district and borough council leaders, who have united against a proposal for one unitary council to deliver services for the whole of Suffolk – which they say would be too large to work effectively and too remote for local residents to be heard.

The leaders say Suffolk is a county of varied communities and businesses - rural, coastal, industrial, agricultural and urban. Meaning multiple unitaries is the only solution and, in their view, a one size fits all approach will simply not work.

The Leaders of Babergh District Council, East Suffolk Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Mid Suffolk District Council and West Suffolk Council say creating multiple unitary authorities for Suffolk would achieve greater outcomes for residents, grow the economy and provide flexible solutions to meet the needs of local communities – in a way that a single council covering a vast geographical area would fail to do.

The interim leaders’ proposals say multi unitary authorities will provide: 

•    Cost effective and high-quality services for Suffolk residents
•    Long term financial sustainability
•    Economic growth and support to local industry
•    Stronger democratic representation, community engagement and neighbourhood empowerment
•    Governance and support systems which can adapt to future aspirations and sustainable growth
•    Ambitions to drive progress, innovation, and long-term success
•    Structures to support and enable thriving communities and economies.

Crucially, multiple unitary authorities would ensure strong democratic representation as one would be too remote for residents to be heard. It is the best solution to ensure decision makers and the communities they represent would be as close together as possible. This makes sure services are designed and delivered in a tailored way built on local knowledge to meet the unique need of an area, its residents and businesses. Therefore, able to deliver both value for money and better outcomes.

It also supports a more balanced solution for the governance of the Mayoral Combined Authority which is being set up next year for Norfolk and Suffolk.
In the next week, Suffolk borough and district councils are set to consider and discuss recommendations for new unitary models, which will form the basis of an interim report submitted to the government expressing the district and borough preferences for Local Government Reorganisation in the county. 

The initial report will not constitute a final decision, and councils will have further time to consider and develop the best option which they believe will redesign and reinvigorate Local Government for the future. Critically, the views of local communities will be at the heart of this work.

As part of the Government’s English Devolution White Paper, councils nationally have been asked to look at reorganisation of local government. This includes disbanding county, district and borough councils and their services being delivered by newly created unitary authorities.

In response Suffolk Borough and District Councils have worked together to look at the best unitary solution for the county, while taking into account Government guidance. This includes guidance around the size of an authority which explicitly allows councils to make a case for unitaries having a population of less than 500,000, with evidence from the District Councils Network now further undermining the case for a mega council.

Council meetings will now be held at Babergh District, East Suffolk, Ipswich Borough, Mid Suffolk District and West Suffolk Councils to make recommendations to form the final interim report that will be fed back to Government for its 21 March deadline.

Cllr Deborah Saw, Babergh District Council leader, said:

“The creation of a mega council will break the connection between communities and the councillors who live and work within them. Wards will be much bigger, and councillors will not have the in-depth local knowledge to draw on when decisions are called for. Councils will become more remote from the people they serve.

“The key to local government is in the word ‘local’. This is why we strongly believe two or three unitary councils will deliver the best for Suffolk’s communities. There is simply no evidence that bigger councils give you better services.”

Cllr Andy Mellen, Mid Suffolk District Council leader, said:

“Such a major change to Suffolk’s local government must be evidence-based, and there is no proof from across the country that larger councils are more efficient or effective.  So, we reject the idea of a single unitary authority covering all of Suffolk – we believe that smaller councils are more relatable and closer to the communities we serve.

“Put simply, any changes must deliver real improvements to the lives of our residents and meet the diverse needs of different communities across the county.

“We will continue to use the evidence to develop the best option - and ensure the views of local communities are at the heart of this.”

Pictured (left to right): Cllr Deborah Saw, Cllr Andy Mellen, Cllr Caroline Topping, Cllr Cliff Waterman and Cllr Neil MacDonald