Cheddar: Local Government Secretary confirms Somerset will become one unitary authority

Plans for a new unitary council in Somerset have taken a step forward following approval from Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick.

The plans will move the area away from a two-tier system of county and district councils to a unitary council.

The locally-led plans are being taken forward after a period of consultation which considered views from residents, business leaders and councils.

The Local Government Secretary has asked the existing councils and their partners to work collaboratively and constructively together to drive forward the process of establishing unitary councils.

Mr Jenrick said: "I have always been clear that any restructuring of local government must be locally-led and will not involve top-down solutions from government.

"Residents, businesses and service providers have had their say on what will work best for their area.

"Where there is local support, changing the structure of local government can offer better value for money and improved services for residents."

Moving forward, Parliamentary approval will be sought to implement the plans for the area. At the turn of the year, a draft structural changes Order will be laid in Parliament.

This will include plans for the necessary transitional arrangements, including for elections in May 2022 for the future unitary councils.

Local MP James Heappey welcomed the move to a single unitary, rather that the two unitary councils proposed by the district councils.

He said: "We have been well served for many decades by hardworking councillors and officials on both our county and district councils.

"I am grateful to all of them for all their hard work, especially over the last 12 months as they have coordinated the Covid-19 response in our communities.

"I strongly agree that we should, however, transition to a unitary authority and I am glad that all councils in Somerset agree that in principle.

"Having all local services vested in a single council makes it much easier to hold our local authorities to account – I often find that residents are unclear whether a service is provided by the county or the district.

"I also think it represents much better value for money if public services are delivered through a unitary rather than two separate authorities.

"However, while all councils in Somerset agree that we should have a unitary authority, the county and the district developed competing proposals on how we should progress.

"In my view, the single county unitary – as there is in Cornwall and Wiltshire – is a more efficient way of delivering county-wide services while creating space for more empowered town and parish councils.

"Personally, I believe the larger council actually creates more room for ultra-local decision making and I have been impressed by the resurgence of town councils in Wiltshire since they went down this path.

"Somerset is too often caught out for being split in its strategy and messaging. Are we an East/West County centred on the A303 corridor and the M5? Or are we a North/South County looking to both Bristol and Bath as well as Exeter?

"This lack of clarity in our purpose diminishes our voice in the region and nationally. A single strategic voice is a better option than perpetrating a split narrative.

"I am conscious that in the past, I have argued for a North/South split but reflecting on the practicalities, I have no hesitation in admitting that this would have been unworkable both in that it would have split Somerset's voice and the councils to our north were not interested in joining us.

"That all said, there were some innovations in the Stronger Somerset bid that I like and that I would like One Somerset to look at. It's important that everyone regards this as an entirely new enterprise, not just a continuation of the current county council."

However, the team behind the Stronger Somerset proposal was disappointed with the decision.

In a joint statement, the leaders of Somerset's four district councils said: "The Secretary of State is riding roughshod over the people of Somerset who voted 65 per cent to 35 per cent in favour of the Stronger Somerset plan over the other scheme chosen by the Secretary of State.

"That vote was the third time in recent history that the people of Somerset have decisively rejected proposal for a single unitary – following the referendum in 2007 and the Ipsos MORI survey in 2020.

"By ignoring the will of the people, the Secretary of State is breaking the bond of trust between elected representatives and those they represent.

"The opportunities to address the real challenges our county faces – how to reduce demand on expensive crisis services, to break the cycle of inequality and under-achievement, to invest in local solutions to local issues – risk being squandered by foisting a manifestly unpopular new local government on our residents.

"We are duty bound to represent the interests of our constituents to our fullest ability. We will continue to seek to ensure that their voices are heard.

"There is still chance for Parliament to see sense and force a rethink. We just cannot understand why the wishes of the people of Somerset are being ignored."