Title

The new unitary councils have hit the ground running at the start of the biggest shake-ups in local government for 30 years. The nine new councils, which replaced 44 district and county councils on 1 April, reported business as usual after ending their status as shadow councils in waiting. District and county councils from Cornwall to Northumberland were disbanded to make way for unitary authorities. In Cornwall, Wiltshire, Shropshire, Durham and Northumberland, the councils were replaced by one single, county-wide authority, while in Cheshire and Bedfordshire, the counties were split into two unitary areas each. Local government minister, John Healey, said: ‘This marks one of the biggest democratic shake-ups since the 1970s – affecting more than three million people. I'm confident that this reform will set a new standard for local government in the future.' Local government leaders are now looking to see if the shake-up will deliver the estimated £100m in annual savings through less duplication. Cheshire West and Chester Council has appointed its new team to lead the unitary authority. Council leader, Cllr Mike Jones, said: ‘Our team has demonstrated the ability to deliver over the past 10 months when we operated as a shadow authority, and now we have set our sights on working closely with all our communities and parish councils.' Northumberland CC hopes to keep things simple, with information centres open 40 hours a week across the county, to get advice on anything to do with the council. Cornwall Council's new chief executive, Kevin Lavery, said: ‘While we have exciting plans to improve the services currently provided… our aim for 1 April has always been to provide business as usual by ensuring residents receive the same quality of services they received on 31 March.' And Wiltshire Council claimed it got off to a ‘flying start' on April 1, handling more than 1,500 calls. The council's implementation executive chairwoman, Jane Scott, said: ‘I've been across the county today, and everything is going extremely well. ‘Customers are more than satisfied with the services and facilities, and the staff are in a very positive and upbeat mood – it bodes well for the future of this new authority.'

Title

WHITEHALL

Latest unitaries claim 'it's business as usual'

SUBSCRIBE TO CONTINUE READING