DORSET County Council’s reorganisation consultation on plans to reduce the number of local authorities in the county from nine to two has come under fire from Bridport town councillors, who have blasted it as rushed and un-democratic.
The county council are asking for residents’ views on forming two unitary authorities in Dorset – there are currently three different options, varying in size, on the table – or retaining all nine councils as they are.
It is thought that a two unitary council model would save £108million over the first six years, and the one-off transition costs to replace the existing nine councils with two unitary councils would be around £25million.
Due to the fact that county councillors have already resolved that they do not wish next May’s polls to take place, as they would be spending £800,000 on an election to an organisation that would not exist two years later, Bridport town councillors have questioned if a decision on the reorganisation has already been made.
The county council would have to submit a request for the election to be deferred to central government by November 30th if this was the case.
Cllr Kelvin Clayton said: “If they go ahead and make that request, they are making it before the nine councils agree on their approach and before they decide upon what business scheme they are going to apply to government for.
“Further, if that then is approved and elections are cancelled, that is before the legislation gets debated and approved by government.
“If all that goes ahead it would suggest to me that the decision has already been made and the whole consultation is a pure farce.”
Cllr Ros Kayes said: “I am getting the feeling that some people feel this consultation has been inadequate, it has been rushed, that it could actually be to the democratic deficit (when decision-making procedures lack democracy) if the county council continues for a year when the proposals are not actually finalised.
“My understanding was that you can openly defer an election for a year and if the arrangements (for the council reorganisation) are not going to be finalised for two years, what are you deferring the election for?”
There were also concerns about what would happen to town and parish councils if two unitary authorities were adopted as there is little information on what powers they would have in the consultation document.
Cllr Ros Kayes added: “When this was debated at a county council meeting in March, one of the things that we all agreed, right across the board, was that towns and parishes needed to have their powers enhanced in order for this to work properly.
“We need to get them to stipulate which powers would be coming to town councils and more importantly what money would be following those powers.”
Cllr Sarah Williams said: “I think very much the development of power to town and parish councils and how town and parish councils can work together is very important, I feel that we need lots of conversations with Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils (DAPTC) and other local government and find out more how it has effected other councils.
“I know certainly in Cornwall since the unitary has started, less and less money has come down to town councils and Cornwall have lost almost all their TICs.
“We have got to look after not only the people who live here but the people who visit and spend money is this economy to help us.”
Cllr Dave Rickard blamed the government for the funding cuts the county has suffered, causing them to make changes – such as this reorganisation – in order to save money.
He said: “I am also concerned about this consultation… people are being asked to vote for something which hasn’t been fully explained.
“It is about referendum style manipulating questions trying to get a response that somebody else has already decided and not doing a proper democratic process.
“I am quite offended and I think it is disingenuous of the language ‘if councils do nothing’ (used as one of the options to continue with nine councils). Councils have been doing an awful lot for a very long time, the only reason they are doing not doing things now is because this government has slashed the funding to the point where it will destroy local government. I think this is disgraceful and I think we should make a very big protest about that.
“Nobody wants to cut healthcare, nobody wants to cut waste provisions, libraries and all these things, nobody wants to cut them, everybody wants those services, and the only people who are causing this problem is not an inefficient council, we can sort that out, the only people who are causing this problem is this government. Services is what government is about.”
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