A radical plan by the six Cheshire district councils to reshape Cheshire into three unitary councils has been unveiled today.
The councils plan to use the review of local government in Cheshire as an opportunity to end the confusion about who is responsible for what in district and county councils and put local councillors in charge of public services in local areas.
In their submission to the Boundary Committee today (September 8) the district councils propose that Cheshire should have 3 councils:
Chester and Cheshire West Council (Chester with Ellesmere Port & Neston); East Cheshire Council (Macclesfield with Congleton); and Mid Cheshire Council (Crewe & Nantwich with Vale Royal). This would be a natural development for local government based on mergers of neighbouring authorities to reflect the different patterns of life across Cheshire.
Councillor Peter Burns, Leader of Macclesfield Borough Council, on behalf of the Cheshire Districts said: “Our joint submission – three modern Cheshire councils - involves minimal council tax changes and any claims to the contrary are without foundation. Scaremongering about council tax levels is not going to help local people make a rational choice. The districts’ proposal for three modern Cheshire councils demonstrates a forward-thinking, rational and open-minded approach which we believe will help the Boundary Committee develop the right solution for Cheshire.”
“It will deliver the best of all possible worlds for council tax payers. Cheshire County Council’s proposal for a unitary county authority is merely an exercise in maintaining the status quo and will take local government over the horizon and away from local people”.
Anne Bingham-Holmes, Chief Executive of Vale Royal Borough Council, on behalf of the Cheshire District Chief Executives, said: “This joint approach demonstrates that the six districts are determined to find the best possible solution for the future of Cheshire, even if for some that means making hard decisions about their own status as an individual authority.
“Halton and Warrington Borough Councils, each of whom faced similar issues and have become successful unitary councils, have both proved that this approach offers a realistic and cost-effective solution.”
The Boundary Committee will offer at least two options to the Government. We have offered two options in our joint submission both of which provide a unitary authority for West, East and Mid Cheshire.”
|
