Minister rejects unitary local government bid for Somerset

A LIBERAL Democrat bid to abolish West Somerset Council and seize control of all local government services throughout Somerset has been thrown out by the Government.
The emphatic rejection of Somerset County Council’s plans for a single unitary authority in the county follows a county-wide referendum which saw 82 per cent of respondents vote against the idea.
The Department for Communities and Local Government had set five criterion which it said any unitary bid would need to meet in order to be successful, one of which was that there should be a broad cross section of support for the proposal.
Another criterion was to be affordable – but an independent assessment of the plan showed it would have cost ratepayers £7 million rather than saving them money as claimed by the Lib Dems.
The unitary bid was opposed in a joint campaign by all five of Somerset’s district councils and all five MPs who represent the county in Parliament.
West Somerset Council leader, Councillor Keith Ross, warmly welcomed the Government decision.
Councillor Ross said: “I am pleased that the voices of local people have been heard, and their wishes respected.
“I appreciate that the Government wants us to improve the current two-tier system and look forward to working with our partners in the district councils and at the county council to achieve this.”
In the recent referendum on unitary status, 200,000 people voted, almost half of the county’s population and more than took part in local government elections in May. Just18 per cent of those who voted were in favour.
West Somerset and the other district councils argued the county authority’s proposals would involve the creation of a mammoth council, a giant new bureaucracy, more red tape, and the abolition of local councils, leading to less democracy and more remote councillors.
Lib Dem county councillors ignored the county-wide referendum and tried to defy the result right up to the end by refusing to withdraw their unitary bid.
The present leader of the county council, Councillor Jill Shortland, who recently took on the role after Councillor Cathy Bakewell stepped down just months after she had launched the bid, said: “The news that our bid to create one council for Somerset is not being taken forward by the DCLG is very disappointing.
“However, the business of providing excellent services to residents will continue with full pace.
“I truly hope that we can re-engage with our district council partners to look for new ways of working closer together through local area working, where many opportunities exist to empower Somerset’s communities.”

Residents urged 'Vote No' to unitary council plans

LOCAL residents are being urged to take part in a postal ballot to tell the Government what they think of plans by Somerset County Council to seize control of all local government services in the county.
Liberal Democrat county councillors want to abolish West Somerset and the other four district councils in Somerset and run everything from County Hall, a move which it has been independently calculated would cost ratepayers £7 million a year.
Now, West Somerset and the other councils fighting the ‘unitary bid’ by the county authority have together commissioned a ballot to give every voter a say in the issue.
But the county’s new leader, Councillor Jill Shortland, has already refused to recognise the result of the ballot, claiming it was a ‘waste of money’ to allow a democratic vote by the public.
The postal ballot is being run by the Electoral Reform Services, and votes, which are free to send by post, should be returned by Friday, June 15.
The leader of West Somerset Council, Cllr Keith Ross, said, "We urge all voters to grab this chance to vote no to Somerset County Council’s proposed new mammoth unitary authority.
“A unitary authority would see West Somerset’s local representation slashed by over 75 per cent from its current total of 35 councillors, made up of 31 district and four county councillors, to eight ‘all-purpose’ councillors.
“This will hit local people hard because they are used to having an adequate number of local councillors to represent their views on local issues.”
Councillor Ross said West Somerset Council was also concerned because it had not received any assurances that local amenities such as parks and open spaces would be maintained, nor whether the county had the same commitment to economic regeneration schemes such as the provision of workspace in Williton, nor leisure and community projects such as ArtLife.
He said: “The county council has criticised the district councils for organising this poll, but we feel that their proposed reorganisation of local government will cost an awful lot more than the £13,500 we have spent on giving our local people the vote.
“It is a small price to pay for democracy. This is the only chance people are going to get. We hope local people make their voices heard by voting ‘no’.”