Proposals on the future of Somerset local government criticised for “lack of detail and evidence”

Rival campaigns to shake up local government in Somerset have locked horns over a new report.

The Government is currently consulting over proposals to replace the five existing Somerset councils with either a single unitary authority (dubbed One Somerset) or two unitaries (called Stronger Somerset).

A new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has criticised the Stronger Somerset proposals, claiming they have a “lack of detail and evidence” and come up short in a number of fundamental areas.

The Stronger Somerset team has rejected the report, saying it contains numerous “misunderstandings and inaccuracies” and that the auditors made no effort to contact them when it was being written.

The report comes as one of Somerset’s MPs questioned how representative the consultation would end up being.

What are the One Somerset and Stronger Somerset proposals?

Currently, Somerset has three tiers of local government:

The county council (which is responsible for children’s services, adult social care, highways, rights of way and other similar duties);
The four district councils (which cover planning, environmental health, licensing and similar matters);
Town and parish councils (which cover low-level local matters such as provision of benches, bins and hanging baskets).
The Government formally invited councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset in October 2020 to submit proposals for reorganisation.

Two separate proposals have been received for Somerset – One Somerset and Stronger Somerset – and both will be consulted upon.

The One Somerset proposal – backed by the county council – would see the five existing councils abolished and replaced with a single unitary authority.

This would have all the powers currently shared between the county and district councils, but some responsibilities would be devolved down to town or parish level.

The Stronger Somerset proposal – backed by the four district authorities – would see the five existing councils replaced with two unitary authorities representing the east and west of the county.

The report was commissioned by Somerset County Council and looks at both the Stronger Somerset case in the round and its specific impact on children’s services, adult social care and transport.

It was published ahead of a virtual meeting of the council’s policies and place scrutiny meeting on Wednesday (March 10).

The report raises the following concerns about the case for two unitaries:

  • A “failure to recognise additional costs” of the new model;
  • A lack of baseline data about existing services and a “lack of tangible indications” about how these services would look in the future;
  • A “lack of detail and evidence” about the delivery of key services – and a failure to recognise that many of the planned changes “have already been implemented, or are in the process of being implemented”;
  • A “failure to understand and properly assess” the impact of moving county-wide services to a new model;
  • A failure to understand “ongoing cost pressures” within core services, as well recent government reforms surrounding health and social care;
  • How viable the financial model will be in the years ahead;
  • The “untried” model for delivering children’s services being “without precedent and seemingly contradictory to existing government policy”;
  • Major services, such as highways, being “absent from the business case”.

County council leader Cllr David Fothergill said: “This is a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to improve public services for everyone in Somerset.

“We cannot stay the same. We are proposing a new, modern council that will deliver what matters most to our communities. One, strong council will end the duplication, waste and confusion and provide a single, clear voice for Somerset.”

How has the Stronger Somerset team responded?

The Stronger Somerset campaign has questioned both the impartiality of the report and the basic assumptions behind it.

A spokesperson said: “Let’s be clear – these are not ‘independent reports commissioned by leading experts’, as the county council claims. These reports have been paid for by the county council to bolster their position.

“If the authors had been concerned to provide an independent view of the Stronger Somerset proposal, then they would have talked to all parties. They have not talked to anyone on the Stronger Somerset team.

“Consequently, the reports contain a number of misunderstandings and inaccuracies and do very little to advance the consultation we are currently engaged in.

“We are confident that the Stronger Somerset proposal best meets the Government tests for reform and we demonstrate that on our website.

“We will be responding to government in greater depth on why we think our case offers the best future for Somerset and how the county council’s proposal fails to analyse or respond to the very real challenges facing  Somerset, particularly in terms of children’s services, adults’ services and economic growth.”

Is the consultation process fair?

Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, a regular critic of the One Somerset proposals, described the consultation process as a “tacky online questionnaire” in a statement he made to the House of Commons on Monday.

He elaborated: “Surely it is a lousy time to chase dreams when you are meant to be looking after people, but our county council insisted, and here we are.

“The Chancellor’s old department (MHCLG) is behaving in the same way – the people’s voice is not being heard.

“Instead of another tacky online questionnaire that can be tweaked, leaked and interfered with by anybody anywhere in the world, let us have proper consultation.”

He has submitted numerous questions to the Government about what checks are in place to prevent fraud (including multiple responses or submissions those who are not eligible to vote in UK elections).

Luke Hall, the minister for regional growth and local government, responded in the House on Monday, arguing the process would be completely above board.

The MP for Thornbury and Yate said: “We welcome the views of all those interested in the proposals, including local residents, town and parish councils, businesses and the voluntary sector.

“The process is not a poll or referendum, and hence there are no limitations on who is able to respond, nor is there a process of validating the details of respondents.

“Those responding to the consultation are asked to declare whether they are responding as a resident (and if so whether they are resident in the area concerned or elsewhere including overseas), or whether they are responding on behalf of an organisation.

“Our online platform Citizen Space, which is used widely across the public sector for consultation activities, requires a response to this question, and asks the name of any organisation on whose behalf a response is being made and the email address of the respondent.

“No further details about a respondent’s personal or family’s interests such as employment status are requested.”

A final decision on which proposal will go forward to implementation is expected to be taken by the government in the summer, with any new authority starting in 2023.

 

 

Article originally appeared on Somerset County Gazette.

The Institute cannot confirm the accuracy of this story or confirm that it presents a balanced view. If you feel this is inaccurate we would welcome your perspective and evidence that this is the case

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