If all of England were to "unitarise"....
Last year, I wrote that only one tier of local government in Britain is needed and that all remaining county councils in England should be abolished: https://alansgreenthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/why-end-may-be-nigh-for-all-remaining.html
I firmly stick by this belief more than a year later, when orders for the creation of a new Dorset unitary authority (and the merger of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole), and three pairs of council mergers (Taunton Deane and West Somerset, St Edmunsbury and West Suffolk, and Suffolk Coastal and Waveney) have been approved and are likely to be formalised by Parliament later this year (in fact, the Weymouth & Portland council election of this year has been cancelled in anticipation of the finalisation of such mergers). These trends are set to continue and could potentially lead to the abolition of all remaining county councils in England within the next decade.
However, if all of England is to switch to unitary authorities eventually, three principles will need to be adhered to in order to ensure the continuation of efficient and accountable local government that can represent the interests of its residents upon the abolition of counties and districts:
1. Reasonable size. They should neither be too small nor too large, since unitary councils must by definition manage the responsibilities and powers of both district and county councils, with education and transport being the most important county council remits not available to district or borough councils. Unitary authorities created from county councils should not on creation encompass a population greater than 500,000 people, as this makes the new council too remote and overworked to function proactively and effectively. They also need to avoid being too large geographically so that community interests can be served fairly and to ensure transport can be localised and serve the area's needs and wishes. Generally upon creation their population should be between 150,000 and 300,000 people (the size of two, three, or four parliamentary constituencies).
2. Geographical coherence. The areas of the unitary authority should connect with and share common interests with each other. This means taking into account transport links and community identities seriously in the creation of such a unitary authority, and making sure it is not oversized.
3. Accountability and sustainability. The unitary authority's council size should be reasonable so that residents in rural areas can obtain as fair representation as possible, and it should be able to deliver services effectively and sustainably without being overstretched in any fashion. More financial devolution at a local level is required, though, and unitary authorities created from county councils should on a regular basis be allocated the money saved from abolishing the preceding county council.
I firmly stick by this belief more than a year later, when orders for the creation of a new Dorset unitary authority (and the merger of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole), and three pairs of council mergers (Taunton Deane and West Somerset, St Edmunsbury and West Suffolk, and Suffolk Coastal and Waveney) have been approved and are likely to be formalised by Parliament later this year (in fact, the Weymouth & Portland council election of this year has been cancelled in anticipation of the finalisation of such mergers). These trends are set to continue and could potentially lead to the abolition of all remaining county councils in England within the next decade.
However, if all of England is to switch to unitary authorities eventually, three principles will need to be adhered to in order to ensure the continuation of efficient and accountable local government that can represent the interests of its residents upon the abolition of counties and districts:
1. Reasonable size. They should neither be too small nor too large, since unitary councils must by definition manage the responsibilities and powers of both district and county councils, with education and transport being the most important county council remits not available to district or borough councils. Unitary authorities created from county councils should not on creation encompass a population greater than 500,000 people, as this makes the new council too remote and overworked to function proactively and effectively. They also need to avoid being too large geographically so that community interests can be served fairly and to ensure transport can be localised and serve the area's needs and wishes. Generally upon creation their population should be between 150,000 and 300,000 people (the size of two, three, or four parliamentary constituencies).
2. Geographical coherence. The areas of the unitary authority should connect with and share common interests with each other. This means taking into account transport links and community identities seriously in the creation of such a unitary authority, and making sure it is not oversized.
3. Accountability and sustainability. The unitary authority's council size should be reasonable so that residents in rural areas can obtain as fair representation as possible, and it should be able to deliver services effectively and sustainably without being overstretched in any fashion. More financial devolution at a local level is required, though, and unitary authorities created from county councils should on a regular basis be allocated the money saved from abolishing the preceding county council.
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