“Bizarre” shake-up of councils will damage local democracy

South Norfolk Council has expressed surprise at Boundary Committee proposals to create a single unitary council covering the whole of Norfolk, as well as removing Lowestoft from Suffolk, describing them as bizarre and unreasonable.

The council said the proposals, which would abolish eight authorities in Norfolk and create a single giant unitary county, would damage local democracy, especially at a time when more powers are meant to be given to local people.

Council Leader John Fuller, who has campaigned for a four unitary council solution as the best for Norfolk people and local democracy, said:

“It’s bizarre. Nobody asked for this. In fact, over 20 proposals of various types were submitted from councils and others in Norfolk but no reasonable person came up with this. It makes you wonder whether the experts at the Boundary Committee actually considered any of the evidence put to them.”

South Norfolk Council says the proposals damage the democratic representation of local councils in their communities. Currently, 420 Councillors in Norfolk represent 840,000 people, on average 2,000 residents each. Under the new proposals, this would be diluted at least five-fold.

He added:

“These draft proposals take power away from local people. They break the democratic mandate between local government and the people they serve.

"The process will cost councils a fortune, but worse, crossing the border into Suffolk also promises another wasteful police and health service reorganisation, which is madness at a time when the economy is facing a downturn. You’d think that the Government would have better things to do than change the nameplates on our local town halls.

“Last week at a conference in Bournemouth, Ministers told local council chiefs that a new Government White Paper would reveal new laws to bring councils closer to people.

“These draft proposals go totally in the other direction by creating unwieldy, one-size-fits-all, monster authorities. Ironically, by the time consultation on this proposal is complete, there will be new draft laws that point councils in exactly the opposite direction.”

Councillor Fuller concluded:

“No person who knows Norfolk or Suffolk well could have come up with this. I get no sense of inevitability or consensus on these proposals and without momentum, time is running out to make this happen before a General Election.

"At South Norfolk Council, it’s business as usual. There will be no done deal on this. It’s all about fighting to give residents a set of councils that they recognise and relate to."

Web links

• South Norfolk Council website, unitary pages

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