Plans to create two unitary authorities in Bedfordshire have been given the green light by Parliament. The proposals to create a unitary Bedford borough and a new council for central Bedfordshire were approved last week. Both councils will start from 1 April 2009, with elections to the new authorities taking place in May 2009. ‘As with other areas, this will be a challenging time for the transition to the new authorities,' said local government minister, John Healey. ‘But, I am confident all of the authorities implementing the new unitary councils will work constructively together to guarantee a better system of local governance for local people, businesses and communities.' The creation of the Bedford unitary will be led by an implementation executive, headed by mayor, Frank Branston, and comprising of both borough and county councillors. A shadow executive will also be set up for the central Bedfordshire authority, comprising of councillors from the districts and the county. It will be led by the leader of Mid Bedfordshire DC, Patricia Turner, and the shadow executive's deputy leader will be the leader of South Bedfordshire DC, Norman Costin. Following the news, South Bedfordshire DC and Bedford BC announced that elections due to take place in May would now be scrapped. Councillors up for re-election next month will instead have their terms extended for another year. Suffolk CC has decided to go for a single unitary authority in its submission to the Boundary Committee. Councillors met on Friday to discuss seven different options, but opted for the single-county option. A Suffolk CC spokesman said: ‘It is by far the most cost-effective solution for the people of Suffolk.'
