Suffolk given £290k for council restructuring plan

A county is being allocated £290,000 to help develop plans for council restructuring.

As one of the areas to be fast-tracked for devolution, Suffolk's current county and local councils will be scrapped and replaced by single-tier authorities.

Local government minister Jim McMahon said the funding should be split between councils and hoped areas would collectively submit a final proposal.

So far, differing structures for the future have been suggested, with the five district and borough councils rejecting the county council's proposal for a single unitary authority.

Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for local government reform Richard Rout said: "Modernising Suffolk's 50-year-old council structure is a significant piece of work that will require a large investment of time and money.

"We're very clear that a new single local council is the smartest, simplest and best option for the whole of Suffolk, which will deliver the biggest savings and most sustainable service improvements."

But district and borough leaders said they were "united" against the proposal because one council would be "too large to work effectively and too remote for local residents to be heard".

In a joint statement they said: "We are absolutely certain that a multiple-unitary model, with each new council delivering all services to different, recognisable parts of Suffolk, is vital to meet the differing needs of our diverse communities."

That could involve the county being split in two or three, with potentially a greater Ipswich area created to cover the county's largest town.

The government said it was providing £7.6 million to councils across the country and wanted them to agree on up to three authorities to receive an equal share of the funding in each area.

McMahon said the funding would: "Contribute towards facilitating the development of a shared evidence base that will underpin the final proposals as well as contributing to the development of these."

Despite the government asking for one proposal per county, this is understood not to be a fixed rule and multiple could be looked at.

Councils were told they should aim for new authorities to cover a population of 500,000 or more but the government said it was "a guiding principle, not a strict target".

Suffolk has a population of about 750,000.

A combined authority would also be formed across Norfolk and Suffolk, which would be led by a directly elected mayor and manage services like transport and employment skills.

Final plans are due to be submitted to the government in September.

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