LEADER of Somerset County Council, David Fothergill, has kickstarted his campaign for a unitary council for Somerset saying it could save the county tens of millions of pounds.
This follows an independent report commissioned by Somerset County Council and all four district councils which was published earlier this year and outlines what it says are clear benefits of switching to unitary.
Cllr Fothergill has publicly stated his belief that financial savings of up to £25million can be made by cutting waste and reducing duplication, savings that would be reinvested to improve vital services.
In a letter to Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for housing, communities and local government, Cllr Fothergill sets out the case for One Somerset. He wrote, “I believe that one council for Somerset now offers the best vehicle to deliver joined up services and opportunities for the residents of Somerset, with more local focus, delivery and accountability.
“A council where everyone knows who is responsible, where crucial services can work in a more joined up way and where more, not less, is managed in the heart of our communities.
“There is a significant saving, a huge unitary bonus for us to invest in Somerset’s frontline services. I believe that it is essential we secure that bonus and listen to residents about where it should be spent.
“One Somerset is not a takeover – it would see all councils scrapped and replaced with a new unitary authority.
“This would allow more decisions to be made locally at parish, town and city level rather than in remote district councils.
“It would mean less waste – one chief executive instead of five, one leadership team, one set of back offices, one set of councillors. It would be simpler for residents – one point of contact for all council-related queries. It would strengthen Somerset’s position on a national level – one voice to lobby government for more funding, better road and rail infrastructure, or to attract new businesses and boost the economy.
“The recent report showed there was up to £47million of savings by moving to a unitary. I don’t quite buy the £47 million, but if it was £25million, what could we do with that? We could heavily invest in our services and make sure that we were running really sustainable long-term public services for people in Somerset.
“We could also devolve powers to our towns, parishes and cities who are very capable and not remote like the district councils. They could be there looking after their communities and really providing very local services.
“There is a big, big unitary bonus that we need to grasp and we need to reinvest back into local services in Somerset.”
The letter is the starting point and Cllr Fothergill has to formally ask the Secretary of State for permission to submit a business case. Once permission is granted, it is intended to do this before the summer recess.
You can read the letter in full and find out more about the case for One Somerset at www.onesomerset .org.uk.
