After Ipswich Borough Council
failed to convince the Government of its case to be awarded unitary
status on its existing boundaries, the local government Minister
John Healey announced in December 2007 that he would be asking the
Boundary Committee for England (BCE) to review the structure
of local government in the whole of Suffolk with a view to
introducing new unitary style local government in Suffolk and
Norfolk.
In February 2008, the BCE announced the terms of reference given
by the Minister for its review of Suffolk and Norfolk:
Terms of reference
The Government’s terms of reference ask the BCE to consider
whether there is an alternative unitary structure to that proposed
in the original Ipswich bid for unitary status that meets the
following five criteria:
- Affordability.
- Cross section of support.
- Strategic leadership.
- Neighbourhood empowerment.
- Value for money.
Apart from considering whether there could be an alternative
proposal for a single tier of local government, for the whole or
part of Suffolk, the BCE was also asked to consider the
potential for cross-border options involving Lowestoft and the
whole or part of Great Yarmouth - the so-called ‘Yartoft’
option.
Review timetable