In December the government published its plans for the reorganisation of local government, and this week Angela Rayner announced which areas are to move ahead first. Six of the 18 submissions have been approved. They include ‘Greater Essex’ including Southend and Thurrock, and a joint proposal from Norfolk and Suffolk. In those areas, county council elections planned for this May are to be postponed. In 2026 Mayors will be elected for the two new areas, followed by elections for councillors in the new unitary authorities a year later.
Why reorganise?
The aim of reorganisation is to replace the current mix of structures with a consistent pattern of unitary councils across England. Each unitary authority will have a population of around 500,000 and be responsible for all services. This would avoid the current confusion over which council does what, and would substantially reduce the number of councillors and officers. The unitaries will then be grouped into strategic authorities under a directly elected Mayor, following the pattern already in place in Manchester and elsewhere.
Announcing the decision on which areas will be given priority for reorganisation, on Wednesday, Angela Rayner told the House of Commons that,
“the outcome is simple. It is a plan for putting more money in people’s pockets, a plan for quicker, better, cheaper transport designed with local people in mind, and a plan for putting politics back in the service of working people”.
The election postponement
The government has now agreed that the county council elections planned for May of this year will be postponed in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. The present councillors will remain in post for a further year, and if any retire or resign, there will be by-elections. This is not unusual when reorganisation is in progress, to avoid the substantial expense of holding elections for a new set of councillors who would only serve for a year. It would also be very difficult for local government staff to manage elections at the same time as keeping services running, and helping plan the reorganisation.
Nevertheless, parties which had hoped to make gains in May’s elections have been keen to claim that decision is undemocratic. In questions to the secretary of state, Rupert Lowe (RUK – Great Yarmouth) and James McMurdock (RUK – Basildon South & East Thurrock), and Steffan Aquarone (LibDem – North Norfolk), argued this case, which was also made by the shadow minister, joined by Mark Francois (Con – Rayleigh & Wickford).
Other issues
Responding to Angela Rayner’s statement, the Shadow Secretary of State Kevin Hollinrake (Con – Thirsk & Malton) was concerned about the ability of local authorities to maintain existing services. He suggested that it might conflict with the government’s housing plans, which involve a lot of work for council planning departments.
Unsurprisingly, the decision was welcomed by five of the region’s Labour MPs. But a range of other issues were raised.
Will the new structure take government further from the people? Adrian Ramsay (Green – Waveney Valley) argued that replacing district councils with larger unitaries would make them more remote from constituents and more vulnerable to manipulation by central government.
How will the balance between cities and rural areas, often with very different politics and cultures, be managed? Alice MacDonald (Lab – Norwich North) was concerned to ensure that the distinctive features of the region’s cities, like Norwich, were not swamped.
Will the reorganisation really produce saving? Angela Rayner claimed this and the number of councils is likely to reduce from 26 to perhaps 8, but Bernard Jenkin (Con – Harwich & North Essex) was unconvinced, and asked for evidence.
What will happen to Thurrock’s debts? Following disastrous investments in solar farms, Thurrock council is very heavily in debt. Will those debts be inherited by the new unitary, or the Greater Essex authority? If neither, how will they be managed? When the reorganisation plans were announced, the Minister, Jim McMahon, said that government would have to ‘take a view’ of such cases and work with partners to try to find a solution. This will certainly feature in any planning discussions.
How many unitaries will be created, and how will their boundaries be drawn? On simple numbers, it seems likely that the Norfolk and Suffolk strategic authority will be divided into three unitaries, one of which will cross the historic county boundary. In November, James Wild (Con – North West Norfolk) argued that a population of 500,000 is too large for an area like his constituency. In Essex, there is some uncertainty. On simple numbers, Greater Essex would divide into three or four unitaries, but the geography is complicated. John Whittingdale (Con – Maldon) expressed concern that his area, which is very rural and isolated, would be swallowed into a much larger, and very different unitary authority.
Is the government forcing new structures on reluctant local government? The government has decided the overall shape of the system, but is keen to stress that it does not intend to impose plans on local communities. It will be for the existing councils and their partners in local areas to prepare proposals for reorganisation. And in the two areas now moving forward in the East, there had already been a lot of discussion about change. The government hopes local councils will work together. But they recognise that in some areas there may be competing proposals, in which case the minister will consider them on their merits and make the final decision.
A major task
This will be the biggest reorganisation of local government for 50 years. It is a massive administrative task involving extensive consultation and negotiation. We should spare a thought for the thousands of local government staff whose careers will be affected, sometimes radically. Despite that, they will be expected to keep the services running, at the same time as planning and managing the reorganisation itself.
By the time of the next general election, the local government landscape will look very different. Let us hope people think it is better!
