The Council debated its response to the Boundary Committee for
England's consultation at its meeting on 25 September 2008 and
voted in favour of the following submission:
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The key points of which are:
1. The process for establishing and consulting on the proposals
against the Secretary of State’s five key criteria for unitary
government has been unsatisfactory because:
- There has been no demonstrable evidence for the need for
unitary government in Suffolk.
- The timetable for establishing the proposals and the consequent
consultation process has been rushed and has not fully engaged with
the communities that it will affect.
- There are significant doubts about the validity of many of the
assumptions that support the submitted financial cases for the
proposals.
- We are concerned that the County Council was nominated lead
authority for the creation of both the Rural Suffolk and One
Suffolk financial cases.
2. The proposals for the creation of North Haven and Rural
Suffolk unitary authorities are ill-considered and do not reflect
local ambitions or needs. Further, we offer no support for the
secondary proposal of a One Suffolk unitary Council;
3. We strongly believe that an East Suffolk, Ipswich and West
Suffolk better serves the ambitions of our local communities,
offering local accountability and regional influence.
Our submission reflects the comments we have been receiving
from the communities that we serve, the very same communities that
will be impacted by and will have to live with, the changes
proposed. It is vitally important that these views are not
under-estimated or set aside.
We strongly urge that the Boundary Committee reconsiders its
proposals for a North Haven and Rural Suffolk proposal, as this
clearly does not have any substantial local support. In particular
there are concerns that a Rural Suffolk consisting of the two
acutely different areas of East and West Suffolk will be hampered
by the competing priorities of these distinct areas.
Nor, does a One Suffolk unitary authority offer a suitable
alternative - this is a flawed proposal that will be remote from
the communities it serves offering a less democratic and
representative model of local government, whilst struggling with
the many competing challenges and opportunities of a largely
diverse county.
As a Council, we are of the opinion that the only viable option
for unitary local government in Suffolk, that clearly meets the
five criteria as set out by the Secretary of State, is that of an
East Suffolk, Ipswich and West Suffolk.
Ray Herring
Leader of Suffolk Coastal
District Council