Unitary Council Bid Going Forward to Next Stage

3.21.16pm GMT Tue 23rd Jan 2007

The Lib Dems after the successful vote

Liberal Democrats at County Hall were delighted with the 'yes' vote at the Full Council meeting yesterday, which means their submission for one Unitary council for Somerset will now go to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) for further consideration.

The Conservatives unanimously voted 'no' to the proposal and had they been successful, a two-unitary bid would have been the only option on the table for Somerset, effectively splitting the county in two. Speakers were particularly anxious about the effect this would have on the county's Education and Social Services.

Given the choice, the Liberal Democrats would have liked a longer time to prepare the business and financial case for one unitary, but as it was, the government allowed them only twelve weeks, including the Christmas holiday period. They paid tribute to the hard work of the county's officers in pulling together all the information needed in such a short time.

Now that the Full Council meeting has approved the plans, there will be wider public consultation and an opportunity for people to hear the arguments and decide for themselves whether they'd like to save costs, remove duplication and improve services in this way.

The Council Leader, Cathy Bakewell commented after the vote:

"Every year we are forced to increase council tax in an effort to balance the books. The government knows as well as we do that this cannot continue and we have to look at other options. The cost savings of around £26m every year make a very strong case for one Unitary Council for Somerset."