Districts proposing two unitary authorities instead of One Somerset plan

Somerset councillors are at loggerheads over whether their county should be ruled by one unitary authority or two.

Somerset County Council approved the One Somerset business case in July, which would see it and the four district councils abolished and replaced with a new unitary authority.

The four district councils originally favoured closed behind-the-scenes working, arguing this was more likely to generate savings while reducing disruption for residents.

The districts are pursuing plans to divide Somerset into two new unitary authorities, which will be published later in the year.

County council leader David Fothergill reaffirmed his belief on Tuesday evening (August 11) that a single unitary was the best way forward to protect Somerset's front-line services in the face of future financial pressures.

He said: "I have argued long and loud that unitary status will remove duplication, create more local opportunities for residents and businesses and deliver savings that could be invested in front-line services and priorities like climate change.

"I have been asking for two years, why have five chief executives, HR teams, IT contracts and so on when you could have just one. It is easy to understand and frankly a no-brainer."

Under new proposals by the districts, two new unitaries would be formed – by Mendip and South Somerset merging, and by Sedgemoor joining up with Somerset West and Taunton (which has only existed since 2019).

Mr Fothergill said he was sceptical about this proposal but was willing to discuss it with the districts' leaders.

He said: "It is hard to see why people in Wells, Shepton Mallet and Frome would want to be run from offices in Yeovil, and why people in Bridgwater would want to be taken over by Somerset West and Taunton Council – but we need to talk it all through."

The district councils said they had been "consistent in their view" about the need for change and remained opposed to a single unitary as a solution.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday (August 12), they said: "Our joint work has always been about reform, not simple reorganisation, that will enable a stronger economy, stronger communities, stronger care and stronger, sustainable services. This will include a two unitary council solution.

"We have never been opposed to the creation of unitary authorities and the districts' case will be a stronger and more ambitious alternative to the One Somerset proposal.

"It is our full intention for the districts' proposal to be democratically debated and shaped by our residents in the coming weeks, recognising that it needs to meet the different needs of our diverse communities while also delivering reform."

A group of seven councillors on Mendip District Council issued a separate statement on Thursday (August 13) calling on the One Somerset business case to be rejected outright.

The group described the unitary plans as "an exit strategy to hide the county council's failures", criticising the county council's design to "wilfully slash services to the most needy in our society."

A spokesman said: "The future of local government in Somerset is going to be decided with little or no provision for public involvement to decide how you want to be governed.

"We think this is simply not good enough. We need to include the public in this discussion. Important decisions should not be rushed through at breakneck speed.

"One large unitary authority will not deliver the savings the government requires, nor will it deliver the improvement to services that Somerset

residents should expect.

"We must find a solution that relates to defined and containable geographic areas that make logical sense. We want to see the services delivered that people need to have decent, safe and prosperous lives."