Unitary plan set to go ahead
Tuesday 27th March 2007, 11:53AM BST.
The Government today gave Shropshire County Council the green light to press ahead with its controversial plans to set up an all-purpose unitary authority.
This will lead to the scrapping of the county’s five district councils.
Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly announced in a Commons written statement that the county council – along with 15 other areas – should now enter a three-month consultation period over their proposals for unitary status.
Under the SCC plan – jointly submitted with district councils in south Shropshire and Oswestry – the council would take over responsibility for delivering all council services from Oswestry, North Shropshire, Shrewsbury & Atcham, Bridgnorth and South Shropshire district councils.
Voters rejected the idea in referendums in Shrewsbury & Atcham, Bridgnorth and South Shropshire, and today Tory MPs Philip Dunne and Daniel Kawczynski said they would continue to fight the plan, and forecast that the local elections on May 3 would now become a referendum on the idea.
The final decision on whether to allow SCC to become an all-purpose authority in addition to Telford & Wrekin will be taken shortly after the consultation period finishes at the end of June. If the plan is approved by ministers, the district councils would be jettisoned at the end of March 2009.
Local government minister Phil Woolas said Shropshire would now have to demonstrate that a unitary authority could deliver improved services at a lower cost to the council tax payer than the current two-tier system.
“None of these proposals will go ahead unless they can demonstrate robustly that they will cut council tax,” he said.
By London Editor John Hipwood
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Typical one-sided reporting by the Shropshire Star – no mention of the fact that multiple polls were undertaken around Shropshire to ask the public what they thought of Unitary plans, and all polls rejected the idea. The public don’t want it, but it’s a done deal, a step toward Labour regionalisation. Regardless of the pros and cons of Unitary, the fact that public opinion has been disregarded is outrageous. So much for democracy.
(The full story is in the newspaper, including mention of the polls – Moderator)
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Joe, I have to say that I have not seen the bias you are reporting by the Shropshire Star. If anything I thought it was the other way around. Particularly as the only in-depth report appeared after the rushed polls had finished. So come on Shropshire Star give us some in-depth reporting of both sides, with your own ‘unbiased’ analysis of the actual impact on my total CTax Bill.
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In that case please accept my apologies. At least the Shropshire Star allows blog-type-feedback, more than the County Council website offers, their website blog was pulled due to people airing views that didnt support the County Council’s stance. Their whole approach (with congestion charging, NW relief road as well as Unitary) seems to be ‘this is what’s happening’ rather than ‘what would you like to happen?’
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At last the right decision has been made; no longer will we have to pay for a three tear system.
Parish, District and County. It also means Parishes around Shrewsbury will no longer subsidise
Shrewsbury & Atcham Council for services we do not get.
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Unfortunately, Shropshire County Council has gone all out to get unitary status as it possibly will with road pricing in the town.
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Keel, I agree we pay too much for Council services now, but wait til Unitary comes in. Big costs associated with transition, big pay offs, pig pension contributions, big salaries, less localised services, big bureaucracy and Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth residents will be hit with larger increases in Council Tax compared with other districts. Don’t be fooled by promises of 3.5% CTax increases for three years either, debt run up in the change over will be paid back sometime, so larger increases will follow the three years at 3.5%. Read the ‘Chisholm report’ about Shropshire’s Unitary bid, their finances don’t stack up, and WE as taxpayers will end up paying the price.
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Consultation has already taken place, the consensus was that it shouldn’t go ahead. Three of the five districts had referenda and all three rejected the proposals. Shropshire CC sent its proposals to the Minister for Balkanisation, Phil Woolas, on the day the referenda results were due to be released.
The proposal fails the “support” criteria, it shouldn’t even have been shortlisted. There now follows a three month consultation period at the end of which the majority public objection to the plan will be ignored again and it will happen regardless.
Stuart Parr
West Midlands NO! Campaign
http://www.westmidlandsno.org.uk
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It’s time for a revolution!!
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What we need now, is a FULL List of Council Candidates up for Election for the Coming May Elections, and beside each one’s Name a Clear (FOR) or (AGAINST) to indicate WHO WE CAN RELY UPON TO CARRY OUT OUR WISHES.on this Proposed all purpose Unitary authority.
This might make a few councillors thing very hard as to what they will inform the Electorate in their coming literature.
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