Local Government

The Minister for Local Government (John Healey)
I have today published a summary of responses received in response to the Government’s stakeholder consultation on proposals for future unitary structures in England, and placed a copy in the Libraries of both Houses.

On 27 March Ministers announced that of the 26 proposals received from authorities wishing to obtain unitary status, 16 proposals were judged to have at least a reasonable likelihood of achieving the outcomes specified by the criteria set out in our Invitation to Council. We issued a 12 week-consultation, “Proposals for Future Unitary Structures: Stakeholder Consultation”, seeking views on the extent to which the 16 proposals, if implemented, would achieve the outcomes specified by the criteria in our invitation.

We are very encouraged by the very strong response to this consultation, which has provided us with a range of evidence and views that have helped to inform and clarify the Government’s consideration of the proposals. I am also grateful to hon. Members for their continued and ongoing comments on unitary proposals in their areas.

On 25 July I announced to the House the nine unitary proposals that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, was minded to implement, having considered all the available relevant information including the responses received in response to the stakeholder consultation.

Those proposals included Bedford borough council’s proposal for a unitary Bedford. I explained that implementing that proposal meant that we must consider the future local government structures for the remaining county area, and that we intended formally to invite all the other councils in Bedfordshire to propose a unitary solution that would meet our five criteria for that remaining area.

Today the Secretary of State has invited Bedfordshire county council, Mid-Bedfordshire district council, and South Bedfordshire district council to make a proposal for future unitary local government structures for that remaining area. This invitation, made under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, provides that a proposal may be submitted by a single council or jointly by two or more councils, and that any proposal should be received by 17 December 2007.

We have also today issued guidance to those councils, to which they are required by the Act to have regard when responding to the invitation.

The guidance sets out the outcomes any proposal should seek to achieve and matters which the councils should take into account in formulating any proposal. These matters include Bedford borough council’s unitary proposal which I told the House on 25 July we were minded to implement. At that time I also explained that we were asking that council to undertake further work and submit additional information on the financial viability of their proposal. On the basis of a preliminary assessment of the additional information and representations that we have now received from the council and others, the Secretary of State remains minded to implement Bedford borough council’s proposal.

We are satisfied that the remaining area of Bedfordshire needs unitary local government to complement any unitary Bedford council. This invitation is an opportunity to propose the creation of a new unitary council which will promote that area’s prosperity, empower its people and communities, and ensure the delivery of high quality local public services to all who live and work there.

I have also placed a copy of the invitation and guidance to the county and district councils of Bedfordshire in the Libraries of both Houses, and these documents can also be found on the website of the Department for Communities and Local Government at: http://www.communities.gov.uk//publications/localgovernment/unitarystructures