The Boundary Committee for England (BCE) is currently carrying
out a review of local government Suffolk which is meant to
recommend whether one or more unitary councils should be set up to
take over from the existing two tiers that include district/borough
councils and the county council.
Latest proposals from the BCE published
Follow the links below to view the latest proposals from the BCE
published on 19 March 2009. Suffolk Coastal has issued the
following press release in response to the BCE's proposals
Review has
turned into a farce.
Follow this link for help with downloading and opening PDF files.
The draft proposals are the same as the two options that the BCE
published in July 2008, except that they are now
proposing that Lowestoft is retained in Suffolk. The revised
options are:
- A Suffolk unitary authority comprising the existing county of
Suffolk.
- An Ipswich & Felixstowe unitary authority and a Rural
Suffolk unitary authority comprising the rest of the county of
Suffolk.
Suffolk Coastal's position on the latest proposals
Our response to the BCE and the Secretary of State is very
clear. If unitary government has to be introduced in Suffolk then
we believe our proposal for East Suffolk, West Suffolk and Ipswich
unitaries is the only logical model. However, we would suggest that
now is not the time to be looking at introducing any significant
reorganisation in Suffolk but to leave us to get on with delivering
core services for our residents and tackling our budgetary
pressures.
We have written to all of our towns and parishes (see below)
advising them of our stance and to remind them that they do not
have to sign up to either option put forward by the BCE. They can
also put forward their own views including enhancement to the
current ‘three tier’ model.
Suffolk Coastal's preferred unitary option
Suffolk Coastal’s preferred unitary
option is for three councils - East Suffolk, which would
include Felixstowe, Kesgrave and Lowestoft; West Suffolk; and
Ipswich.
Our leaflet
'Make Suffolk Three' (new window PDF
152KB) explains our preferred option in more
detail.
You can also view our
response to the BCE's earlier draft
proposals.
What happens next?
The BCE gave until 14 May 2009 for comments on its latest
proposals. It will consider all the responses and evidence it has
received before making its final recommendations to the Government
on 15 July 2009.
There will be an opportunity for anyone who wishes to make
representations to the Secretary of State about the BCE's final
recommendations to do so during the period beginning on 15 July
2009 and extended until 18 September 2009.
The Secretary of State is now expected to make his decision by
mid October 2009. If approved by Parliament, new unitary councils
could be established by 1 April 2011.
The Secretary of State can:
- Decide to take longer if he wants.
- Implement the original proposals from Ipswich to become a
unitary council with or without modification.
- Implement the latest proposals from the BCE with or without
modification.
- Decide that nothing needs to be changed.
If the Secretary of State wants to implement the original
proposals or a modified version of the BCE proposals he may
want to consult again about them.
Follow this link to
see the full review
timetable.