Reorganisation
District demands withdrawal of unitary plan
Nuneaton & Bedworth BC has confronted Warwickshire CC over proposals to create a new authority covering the whole county.
We can’t wait any longer for major reform of local government
The current patchwork of local government needs to change if we are to have any hope of levelling up places across the country, argues Simon Jeffrey of Centre for Cities.
The dark side of Clarke
Last week, the sector mourned the sudden departure of local government minister Simon Clarke.
Forget the charm, local government needs certainty
Heather Jameson asks if Boris Johnson’s surprise appearance on a local government call this week could be the start of a charm offensive. 'Forget the charm, a decent finance settlement and devolution deal will do the trick', she adds.
Think-tank proposes axing hundreds of councils
England’s 349 councils should be replaced with 69 unitary authorities, a think-tank has argued.
Down and out?
Plans for a full-scale local government reorganisation have been thrown into doubt, with Downing Street being blamed for delays.
Is there the political will to push through reorganisation?
Simon Clarke's unexpected resignation as local government minister begs the question of what happens now on devolution and reorganisation, says Heather Jameson. There are many reasons why restructuring is a problem, she adds.
MHCLG denies blanket plan to scrap districts
The Government has denied it is pursuing the blanket abolition of district councils as part of the Devolution White Paper.
Cumbria plots course for reorganisation
The county council has drawn up a business case for a single unitary council that could produce savings of up to £52m.
Now is not the time to downgrade council chiefs
York's top team reorganisation could end up being a case of putting cost before value, says Heather Jameson. 'Now is not the time to downgrade the chief executive, it is time to celebrate what an extraordinary job they do', she adds.
EXCLUSIVE: Lib Dems raise reorganisation concerns
Lib Dem council leaders have raised ‘serious concerns’ with local government secretary Robert Jenrick about this autumn’s devolution and local recovery White Paper.
DCN: Bigger local government is ‘not better or cheaper’
Proposals for county unitary councils would be 122 times larger than the average council in Germany, a new report by the District Councils’ Network (DCN) warns today.
Countywide unitaries ‘could save £3bn’
Replacing two-tier counties with one unitary authority could deliver almost £3bn savings over five years, according to research published by the County Councils Network (CCN) today.
Three districts table Gloucestershire devolution proposals
Three of Gloucestershire’s district councils have proposed creating two unitary authorities in the county.
Tees Valley mayor adds support to Yorks reorganisation
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen has added his support for a reorganisation and devolution in neighbouring North Yorkshire.
Somerset districts publish reorganisation proposals
District councils in Somerset have proposed the creation of two unitary councils and a combined authority in the county.
Warwickshire districts oppose ‘power grab’
A county council report concludes that a single unitary represents the best option for local government reorganisation.
Public health must not be downplayed by PHE’s abolition
To start tearing down structures like PHE while the pandemic still rages and when the wider preventative issues of public health have been recognised as integral to slowing down the spread of the virus seems reckless, says Michael Burton.
Clarke’s pop quiz
The English reorganisation debate has shone a light on proposed new unitaries, particularly the idea of optimum population sizes. Heather Jameson analyses some of the research. Economic geography seems to be the driving factor under consideration.
Fears for small unitaries over Clarke's reorganisation shake-up
Existing small unitaries could be at risk in the looming reorganisation shake-up after the Government failed to offer assurances about their future.
