Sharpening the commercial edge
The case for well-managed council commercial activity is one that needs to be defended if we want a mature and sustainable local state, argues Jonathan Werran.
Controversial Somerset poll backs district plan
07/06/2021 A controversial poll on reorganisation in Somerset has come out in favour of a district-based proposal. |
Three councils back Bay unitary proposal
03/06/2021 The newly elected leaders of three neighbouring councils have backed proposals for a new Bay unitary authority. |
County rejects Bay Unitary proposal
13/04/2021 Lancashire County Council has rejected proposals to create a new Bay Unitary Council. |
County council chiefs welcome new Northamptonshire authorities
01/04/2021 County council leaders have welcomed two new unitary authorities which officially came into existence today in Northamptonshire. |
Consultation starts on restructuring local government in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset
23/02/2021 A consultation on creating unitary authorities in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset has been announced today by the Government. |
Basildon and Thurrock consider merger
11/02/2021 Council leaders are drawing up a memorandum of understanding including the option of forming a South West Essex Council. |
The Bay – a pivot to purpose
26/01/2021 Tim Pope and Sam Plum explain why local government reorganisation can be used as a catalyst for a new generation of councils that reflect their local economies and can lead the recovery. |
Reorganisation battle lines drawn over think-tank report
20/10/2020 The bitter war of words between counties and districts over reorganisation stepped up this week as battle lines were drawn around a new think-tank report. |
Three areas invited to submit unitary proposals
09/10/2020 The Government has today invited councils in three areas to submit proposals for the creation of unitary local authorities by April 2023. |
Somerset councils vote to establish two unitary authorities
16/09/2020 District councils in Somerset have voted for a transformation plan that will see them replaced by two unitary authorities. |
Countywide unitaries ‘could save £3bn’
27/08/2020 Replacing two-tier counties with one unitary authority could deliver almost £3bn savings over five years, according to research published by the County Councils Network (CCN) today. |
Three districts table Gloucestershire devolution proposals
27/08/2020 Three of Gloucestershire’s district councils have proposed creating two unitary authorities in the county. |
Call to scrap two-tier local government system in rural areas
04/08/2020 The ‘confusing' two-tier model of local government should be abolished and replaced with single unitary councils, a report has argued today. |
Ministers to receive Somerset unitary business case
31/07/2020 A business case for a single Somerset unitary has been sent to communities secretary Robert Jenrick and local government minister Simon Clarke. |
Reorganisation will deter potential councillors, report warns
24/07/2020 Local government unitary reorganisation will slash the number of councillors and deter many from standing for election, a report for the District Councils’ Network (DCN) has warned. |
Race for reorganisation gathers pace in Surrey and Somerset
10/07/2020 The race towards reorganisation is gaining pace more plans emerging in Somerset and Surrey. |
Hand health powers to elected mayors, says report
23/06/2020 Health powers should be handed to elected mayors as part of a ‘rejuvenated and fortified wave of devolution,’ a think-tank report has suggested. |
Launch of new Buckinghamshire Council
02/04/2020 The new unitary authority for Buckinghamshire has been launched, bringing together five district and county councils. |
Reorganisation fears overshadow devolution talks
10/03/2020 Concerns over local government reorganisation are marring devolution talks in the north-west. |
Lessons for digital change from the new unitaries
06/02/2020 Some nine months on from the creation of two new unitary councils in Dorset, what have been the lessons learned from establishing a new organisation and implementing change programmes, especially digital change? Chief executives from councils in the South West discussed the issue at a recent round table debate in the New Forest hosted by The MJ and BT. |
Borough seeking unitary status sparks spending row
03/02/2020 A row over council spending has broken out between a county council and a borough authority that is seeking unitary status. |
Northamptonshire unitaries to save £86m
09/01/2020 Local government reorganisation in Northamptonshire will cost just over £40m, according to the early official estimates. |
Reorganisation in Somerset would 'cut waste and save money'
08/01/2020 A single, unitary authority for Somerset would deliver a predicted saving of £35-£47m, according to new research. |
Minister confirms creation of Northamptonshire unitary authorities
23/09/2019 The Government has confirmed that the legislation allowing for the creation of two unitary authorities in Northamptonshire will be in Parliament this autumn. |
Buckinghamshire unitary authority deal concluded
24/05/2019 The Government has passed the final piece of legislation required for the formation of a new unitary authority in Buckinghamshire. |
Unitary council to adopt committee system of governance
24/05/2019 Cheshire East Council is set to scrap its current system of decision making and adopt a committee system from 2020. |
Delay to Northamptonshire reorganisation welcomed
14/05/2019 Council leaders have welcomed the year-long delay to plans to create two new unitaries in Northamptonshire. |
From jurassic to digital – the evolution of services
13/05/2019 As the new Dorset unitaries get underway, the sea-change in structure is matched by the new wave of digital technology. Against this backdrop, a group of top council chiefs met at a BT/The MJ round table to look to the future. |
Dorset’s achievement in a world transformed
07/02/2019 Andrew Flockhart shows how officers and members throughout Dorset worked together – despite a host of challenges – to be ready for the transformation on 1 April from nine councils to two unitary authorities. |
Third district joins legal action against Bucks unitary plan
28/01/2019 A third council has announced it will be taking legal action against the proposed new unitary council for Buckinghamshire. |
Buckinghamshire districts threaten legal action over unitary plan
21/01/2019 Two Buckinghamshire districts have written to the Government warning they could launch legal proceedings over plans to create a single county unitary. |
What will 2019 bring for local government?
24/12/2018 Turbulent waters lie ahead in 2019, says Mark Whitehead, and councils will need to watch events carefully |
2018 - the year things began to change
21/12/2018 Geed up by a spirit of entrepreneurialism, councils up and down the land were busy exploring new ways to respond to their communities in 2018. |
Nottinghamshire CC abandons reorganisation plan
12/12/2018 Nottinghamshire County Council has decided to drop its reorganisation plans, which the leadership had hoped would save the authority millions each year. |
Nottinghamshire considers unitary authority plans to save £27m per year
06/12/2018 Nottinghamshire councillors will decide next week whether they wish to hold a consultation on plans to create a unitary authority to deliver savings. |
Single unitary council for Bucks gets the go-ahead
01/11/2018 Buckinghamshire’s five councils are to be scrapped in favour of a single county-wide unitary, communities secretary James Brokenshire has announced. |
East Sussex councils consider unitary bid
12/10/2018 Two local councils have had ‘informal’ discussions about breaking away from a struggling East Sussex County Council in response to an ongoing financial crisis. |
Pared-down senior management would deliver 'significant savings' in Nottinghamshire
05/09/2018 A single senior management team for a new Nottinghamshire unitary would deliver ‘significant savings’ and improve service quality, the county council’s leader has claimed. |
Corby refuses to sign Northants unitary plans
31/08/2018 Corby Borough Council has refused to sign up to Northamptonshire’s proposed local government overhaul. |
Christchurch refused permission to appeal reorganisation judgement
13/08/2018 Christchurch Borough Council has been refused leave to appeal the judgement about local government reorganisation. |
Christchurch reorganisation challenge defeated
07/08/2018 Christchurch BC may launch an appeal after a High Court judge today refused its challenge to local government reorganisation plans. |
Nottinghamshire to develop formal case for unitary authority
13/07/2018 Nottinghamshire County Council has agreed to develop a formal case for a new unitary authority, saying it could save up to £30m a year. |
Parliament passes Dorset reorganisation plans
29/05/2018 Dorset council leaders have welcomed Parliament’s decision to create two new unitary councils in the South Western county. |
Council launches legal proceedings against Dorset reorganisation
23/05/2018 Christchurch BC has launched a legal challenge to plans for a reorganisation of local government in Dorset. |
Northampton unitary plan falls
15/05/2018 The tight timeframe for reorganising local government across Northamptonshire claimed its first victim this week despite ministers’ decision to extend the consultation period. |
Districts in Somerset hit out at ‘unrealistic’ unitary savings claim
10/05/2018 The district councils in Somerset have warned the county’s claim a single unitary authority could save up to £28m are ‘unrealistic’ and not based on sound analysis. |
Brokenshire announces Northamptonshire commissioners
09/05/2018 New local government secretary James Brokenshire has today announced the two commissioners appointed to help rescue troubled Northamptonshire CC. |
Scrapping six Somerset councils could save up to £28m says county leader
03/05/2018 The leader of Somerset County Council has launched a public discussion over options to create unitary local authorities. |
Bucks residents back two unitaries
19/04/2018 Two out of three Buckinghamshire residents support a two-unitary option for the county, according to a newly-published telephone survey. |
Suffolk councils put merger plans on hold
06/04/2018 Two Suffolk district councils have put their merger plans on hold after the county council ordered a review into the structure of local government. |
Javid calls for unitary proposals from Northamptonshire councils
27/03/2018 Councils in Northamptonshire have been invited to submit proposals for unitary structures to replace the existing 2-tier system across the county. |
Javid gives ‘green light’ to Dorset reorganisation
27/02/2018 Sajid Javid yesterday gave the green light for Dorset to go ahead with its ‘historic’ plans to create two unitary councils. |
Christchurch sets out bid to stop unitary plans
04/01/2018 Christchurch Borough Council has warned it could take legal action if the Government forces it to merge with Bournemouth and Poole councils. |
Single local councils could save £2.9bn a year, says think tank
17/11/2017 Abolishing district councils and replacing them with single unitary authorities could save £2.9bn a year, a think tank has argued. |
Christchurch to hold referendum on unitary council proposal
09/11/2017 A referendum on joining a new unitary authority will be held by Christchurch Borough Council, after reports the Government in 'minded' to support the proposal. |
Javid announces support for local government overhaul in Dorset
08/11/2017 The secretary of state for communities and local government yesterday agreed to support plans to create two new unitary authorities in Dorset. |
Councillors join committee to discuss transformation plans
12/07/2017 East Dorset councillors have voted to join a joint committee to study proposals to replace the county’s councils with two unitary authorities. |
Dorset councils reaffirm commitment to unitary plans
15/06/2017 Dorset council leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to a radical local government overhaul that could save the area over £100m. |
Joint cabinet ‘unanimously’ agrees to consider single council plans
01/06/2017 A special joint cabinet meeting has ‘unanimously’ agreed that plans to create a single council in West Suffolk will be considered by all councillors. |
Oxfordshire councils submit controversial unitary bid to Whitehall
23/03/2017 Three Oxfordshire councils today submitted a unitary proposal despite concerns this could upset a joint working partnership between two district authorities. |
Christchurch to hold referendum on Dorset’s local gov ‘overhaul’
23/03/2017 Christchurch councillors have voted in support of a referendum on plans to create two new unitary authorities in Dorset after receiving ‘mixed results’ from previous consultations. |
Oxfordshire CC agrees unitary proposal
15/03/2017 Oxfordshire County Council formerly agreed yesterday to submit its unitary bid to Government in what the leader described as a ‘hugely important decision’. |
Lincolnshire ‘mega-council’ poll cancelled due to ‘ludicrous’ cost
17/02/2017 A referendum on the creation of one ‘mega-council’ in Lincolnshire would cost in excess of £1m despite previous county council assurances costs would be ‘kept to a minimum’. |
City council launches petition against proposals for ‘super council’
14/02/2017 Oxford City Council has launched a petition against the proposal to create a single unitary council in the county. |
Oxfordshire single unitary will ‘wreak devastation’ on residents
07/02/2017 Plans to create a single unitary authority for Oxfordshire will ‘wreak devastation’ on residents, district council leader warns. |
Two districts agree to creation of single unitary council in Oxfordshire
06/02/2017 Two district councils in Oxfordshire have agreed to back the county's plans for the creation of a single unitary council, potentially saving up to £100m. |
Six Dorset councils back merger plan
01/02/2017 Six councils in Dorset are to ask local government minister Sajid Javid to abolish the nine existing councils in the county and replace them with two new unitary authorities. |
East Dorset rejects unitary council proposals
31/01/2017 East Dorset District Council has rejected proposals to replace the county’s nine councils with two unitary councils. |
Public to be polled about new unitary council in Lincolnshire
24/01/2017 A referendum is to be held on abolishing all eight councils in Lincolnshire and replacing them one unitary council. |
Proposed Oxfordshire unitary authority to save county £100m
19/01/2017 A proposal to abolish six councils and create a new ‘unitary’ authority in Oxfordshire looks set to save the county £100m. |
Buckinghamshire councils submit proposals for two unitary authorities
18/01/2017 Buckinghamshire councils have voted in favour of a controversial proposal for two unitary authorities in the county—despite Buckinghamshire CC opposition. |
Dorset councils to review evidence for two new unitary councils
20/12/2016 The nine councils in Dorset have agreed to meet next month to discuss the reorganisation of local government, after residents voted in favour of creating two new unitary councils in the county. |
Dorset residents support local government ‘shake-up’
06/12/2016 Residents in Dorset have given their ‘clear backing’ for changing local government structures. |
Chorley calls for fresh look at unitaries
30/11/2016 Chorley BC has made a renewed call for ‘radical changes to the structures of local government’ in Lancashire. |
Elected mayors essential for ‘local accountability’—DCLG
08/11/2016 The Government has confirmed that it will not back down over directly elected mayors despite scepticism from county leaders. |
Councils could cash in on two-tier unitaries – CCN
03/11/2016 Transforming all remaining two-tier areas into county-based unitaries could save £2.9bn over five years, according to the County Councils Network (CCN). |
South West districts to merge
08/09/2016 Taunton Deane and West Somerset councils are set to merge following a council meeting last night. |
MP calls for overhaul of Britain’s ‘faltering local government system’
06/09/2016 A backbench Tory MP has called for the abolition of district councils ahead of a Westminster debate on England’s local authorities. |
Dorset consultation ‘undemocratic’ and ‘biased’, PCC says
31/08/2016 Dorset PCC condemned the council’s consultation on local government shake-up as ‘an opportunity missed’ and called for a referendum on future changes. |
Oxfordshire county and district councils release reports into reorganisation
17/08/2016 Reports from both Oxfordshire County Council and Oxfordshire district councils have been published - with both claiming they provide the best option for unitary government. |
Buckinghamshire councils divided over unitary plans
22/06/2016 Four districts in Buckinghamshire have launched their own review into local governance after rejecting the county’s invitation to work together on unitary plans. |
Hampshire councils fall out over 'underperforming' accusations
10/06/2016 Councils in Hampshire have exchanged heated words, following disagreements on how best to change the structure of local government in the county. |
Districts scrap plans for cross-boundary unitary in Oxfordshire
20/05/2016 District councils in Oxfordshire have abandoned plans to create four unitaries that would have spilt out into neighbouring Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire. |
County appoints experts to explore new models of local government
10/05/2016 Oxfordshire County Council has appointed Grant Thornton to identify what new model of local government should be established in the county. |
Bucks to consider single unitary council
10/05/2016 Buckinghamshire will explore the possibility of creating a single unitary council in order to ‘streamline and simplify services for residents’. |
District re-considers joining unitary study
15/04/2016 East Dorset District Council is re-considering its decision not to be involved in exploring the possibility of a unitary council for the county. |
Councillor calls for debate over future of Buckinghamshire County Council
07/04/2016 A councillor has called for Buckinghamshire's local authorities to 'get round the table' and discuss a unitary future for the county. |
Outgoing council chief executive says he 'longs' for the day council is scrapped
21/03/2016 'I love Buckinghamshire County Council, but long for the day when I hear it is being scrapped' - these are the outgoing words of retiring chief executive, Chris Williams. |
County votes in favour of unitary council
14/03/2016 The majority of councillors at Dorset County Council have voted in favour of pushing ahead with a unitary council. |
Northamptonshire debates unitary status
08/03/2016 Councils in Northamptonshire are considering moving to unitary status, after local MPs called on the county to disband its two-tier structure. |
Dorset to consider changing structure of nine councils
10/12/2015 Dorset County Council will consider the case for changing the existing structure of local government next week, which could see one unitary council formed for the whole county. |
Dorset councils propose new unitary authority
23/09/2015 Four councils in Dorset have put forward proposals to create a single unitary authority, saying the move would provide a more cost effective way of delivering services across the region. |
County leader pushes for town hall merger
12/05/2015 The outgoing leader of North Yorkshire CC has called for his county to be merged with districts to form a unitary. |
Cumbria: Unitary status must be on public's radar
02/02/2015 Cumbria CC has renewed calls for a unitary authority covering the county as it battles to make millions of pounds of savings. |
County accused of wasting money on unitary bid
20/01/2015 Oxford City Council and four district councils have united to reject calls for a single unitary council in Oxfordshire, claiming the savingspossible have been ‘vastly overstated’. |
Oxfordshire unitary would save £33m a year finds report
19/01/2015 single unitary council in Oxfordshire would save the county £33m a year, according to an independent report. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
