Modernising Local Government in Buckinghamshire

Published on Mon 12th March 2018 Parish Council, Community News

As you will be aware, in autumn 2016 the County Council submitted an independently-verified business case to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to abolish the ‘two tier’ system of county and district councils, and create a new, single council for Buckinghamshire. The district councils then proposed a different option to MHCLG: two new unitary councils, one for the north of the county, and one for the south. I am pleased to confirm that the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Sajid Javid, has now announced that he is ‘minded to’ implement, subject to Parliamentary approval and further discussions, the locally-led proposal to replace the existing five councils across Buckinghamshire with a single council for the area. The move to a single unitary council will bring improved and simplified services for local residents, and place more control and decision-making in the hands of town and parish councils and local communities. Our proposal has localism at its heart, with plans for: • A flexible partnership offer that reflects the differing sizes, geographies and resources of parish and town councils, while enabling further devolution, much more local decision-making and the ability to respond to different community needs. • Greater choice and control over local assets and service delivery: increased opportunities to transfer assets and services to those parish and town councils who want them - backed up by a package of funding and support to allow this to be sustainable and successful. • Putting real decision-making power in the hands of local people: a new network of community boards with powers and budget to take decisions for local areas, providing greater scope to represent residents in decision-making on the future of local services. The presumption is that decisions should be taken as locally as possible, with fewer layers of bureaucracy and an end to the tensions between two tier councils. Town and parish councils play a critical role in supporting local communities to thrive and will be key partners to the new unitary council in all aspects of its work. We are very grateful for the views and contributions to the debate that you have provided so far, and look forward to continuing our discussions to develop the detail of the future approach. We have already been working with a reference group of parish and town councils for some initial advice and input on the next phase and will come back to you all about opportunities for further engagement in due course. In terms of next steps on the ‘minded to’ decision, there will now be a period of ten weeks to allow local residents and stakeholders to submit representations and feedback to MHCLG (by 25 May). Following this, MHCLG will reflect on the views received before the Secretary of State announces his final decision. There will also need to be a process to seek parliamentary approval before beginning to implement the changes. MHCLG would welcome views from local partners and residents during the representation period. I would therefore encourage you to write in to provide your views. Contact details are: sajid.javid@communities.gsi.gov.uk You can also find details on the County Council’s proposal for a new, single unitary council at www.futurebucks.co.uk Martin Tett Leader, Buckinghamshire County Council