The unitary process has been a real rollercoaster for many of the councils involved – and particularly, Bedfordshire CC.In July, the county council achieved a local government comeback of almost ‘Lazarus'-style proportions when the Audit Commission announced it had achieved a three-star CPA rating. For chief executive, Andrea Hill, the victory was short-lived because on 25 July, the secretary of state announced that she was ‘minded' to go ahead with Bedford BC's rival unitary bid, and not its own proposal for a county-wide single authority ‘This council has made fantastic improvements and this has been one of the fastest turnarounds in local government history,' Ms Hill tells The MJ. Four years ago, it was a very different story, with children's services in special measures, and the authority branded the worst-performing county council in the country. ‘This year, we are expecting to get the maximum rating in adult social services,' she adds. ‘We are going for unqualified accounts for the first time in years. ‘We have put so much energy into this transformation. It has been further than Hackney LBC and faster than Walsall. And this is what everybody here has worked for.' Ms Hill admits news that the minister favoured the borough bid was an ‘incredible shock for the organisation', but she adds that ‘staff are still buoyant' about the future, despite all the uncertainty. ‘Staff asked me, "What more could we have done?" and I replied, "Nothing". We met all the DCLG criteria. It's a proposal that I am still proud of.' The Bedford BC bid is one of four bids that the secretary of state has asked for more work to be carried out, but there are still questions about what will happen to the rest of the county. When the-then local government minister, Phil Woolas, announced in January the original shortlist of bids, he said in a parliamentary statement that if Bedford was successful, then the Government would look at the remaining two district councils and the county council as well. However, no such caveat about the rest of the county was forthcoming when the new ministerial team made its announcement on 25 July. The county council said in August it would be looking to launch a judicial review against the Bedford BC decision. Council leader, Madeline Russell, claims the rest of the county is ‘not viable' without Bedford. ‘The decision did not make a lot of sense,' she adds. ‘And has left us with more questions than solutions.' Ms Hill adds that while a timetable exists for parliamentary orders to create the other new authorities, no dates have been suggested for Bedford, and none are likely until the issue of the rest of the county has been cleared up. For Ms Russell, the preferred option is still one council. ‘I believe that is the right way forward for Bedfordshire,' she says. And Ms Hill adds: ‘We are working with the rest of the districts because we want to see the best for Bedfordshire. ‘There's an element of risk in having two unitaries, in terms of quality of service, value for money and efficiency. ‘Many people have said to me they don't understand the decision, because they thought a unitary meant a single council. ‘They don't understand how we could have two unitaries. ‘We won't take our eye off the ball,' she adds. ‘We are not going to be sidelined over unitary structures. ‘We won't give up, either. We came up with a credible case, which will be better for the taxpayers of Bedfordshire, and we will push for what we believe is right.' n
