Background

The Branch Committee is asked to determine what the position of our branch should be with regard to the Local Government Review in Norfolk and Suffolk currently being undertaken by the Boundary Committee.

This follows on from the unsuccessful bid of Ipswich Borough Council last year to become a unitary authority. The bid failed primarily because the current boundaries of Ipswich made that bid unaffordable. A similar bid by Norwich City Council also failed for similar reasons.

The Government decided that whilst rejecting those bids that the Boundary Committee should set up a joint review of both Suffolk and Norfolk. The Boundary Committee have made it clear that the Government are not expecting the status quo to be maintained.

The Process

The Boundary Committee have asked the local authorities in Suffolk and Norfolk to produce "concepts" for them to consider. This process has just finished.

These "concepts" will then be looked at by the Boundary Committee and those which meet the five criteria (Broad cross-section of support; strategic leadership; neighbourhood empowerment; value for money in provision of services, and; affordability) will then be opened up for stakeholder consultation. This will happen during July-October.

Once the stakeholder consultation has been completed the Boundary Committee will produce a recommendation for the Government to adopt (or not as the case may be).

Any change is not expected to happen until 2010 at the earliest.

The "concepts"

The following suggestions have been considered:

• A single Suffolk unitary

• An Ipswich unitary and a rest of Suffolk unitary

• An East Suffolk unitary and a West Suffolk unitary

• An all or part of Great Yarmouth/all or part of Waveney unitary and rest of Suffolk unitary

• An Ipswich unitary, an all or part of Great Yarmouth/ all or part of Waveney unitary and a rest of Suffolk unitary

• An Ipswich unitary, an East Suffolk unitary and a West Suffolk unitary

• An Ipswich unitary, an all or part of Great Yarmouth/ all or part of Waveney unitary, an East Suffolk unitary and a West Suffolk unitary

The Local Authority views

Suffolk County Council and Mid Suffolk District Council support a single Suffolk unitary authority.

Ipswich, Suffolk Coastal, St Edmundsbury and Waveney reject the concept of a cross county authority.

Ipswich, Suffolk Coastal, St Edmundsbury and Waveney support an Ipswich unitary, an East Suffolk unitary and an West Suffolk unitary.

Babergh and Forest Heath support a West Suffolk unitary.

Full details of the Local authority submissions are available at http://www.boundarycommittee.org.uk/our-work/suffolkstrrev.cfm

Branch view

The branch needs to consider our position. Members are being consulted by ballot about their preferred option.

As you are aware the Boundary Committee is looking at the way in which Suffolk County Council and the other local authorities will manage services to the people in Suffolk.

It has been made clear that they are looking at creating a unitary authority for Suffolk (in other words getting rid of the county council and the borough/district councils).

There are no indications of how many unitary authorities there will be but there appears to be four possible outcomes at the present time.

These options are:

Unitary Suffolk covering the whole of Suffolk

A two way split between Greater Ipswich and the rest of Suffolk

A two way split between East and West Suffolk (but not necessarily on the old pre 1974 boundaries)

A three way split of East/West and Ipswich

There is a fifth possible alternative and that would involve a joint Lowestoft/Yarmouth authority. This does not, at present seem to have much favour amongst politicians within the local authorities affected.

It is important that we have your views on this as the branch should be asked to submit evidence to the Boundary Committee during the stakeholder consultation which runs from 7 July to 26 September 2008.

Please contact the branch Office with your views.