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Ref: 242/07 26 June 2007
Daunting Challenges Facing Cheshire Need Strong Single Unitary – Government Told
Only a strong single Unitary council will be able to cope with the daunting scale of social, economic and environmental challenges facing Cheshire over the next twenty years.
This is the overriding message to Whitehall in “Building a Sustainable Future” - Cheshire County Council’s response to the Government’s White Paper consultation
And the authority also warns that Cheshire’s Economic performance – “the outstanding success story in the North West” – should not be compromised!
Major Challenges include: -
*Demographic change creating demands on health and social care, plus falling school roles; council tax ;Increased volumes of waste and reduced landfill; affordable housing; diversity; transport, climate change and environmental sustainability.
*And there is a wide range of Government targets to be met ranging from the development of Children’s Trusts and Children’s centres, to integrated youth provision, school clusters and the roll out of direct payments, the new direct commissioning framework in Health and Social Care and Strategic Needs Assessments.
Said Chief Executive Jeremy Taylor: “The sheer scale of the problems to be faced in Cheshire over the next few years is beyond question. Those problems need a radical but safe solution.
“We believe that Cheshire County Council, alone, has provided such a solution with its innovative bid for a dynamic single unitary championing the very best interests of all the people of Cheshire.
“Strategic expertise, strong leadership; experience of managing county-wide services, and the ability to make immediate and considerable savings are essential qualities of any authority capable of coping with traumatic change whilst improving, quality services. ”
Added Mr Taylor: “We have to come up with something which can keep Council Tax down. Government is demanding saving and efficiencies and our Transforming Cheshire programme will enable the county council to make gross savings of £160m over the next five years - vital cash to support front-line services.
Cheshire’s plans for a strong, united county are supported by a host of leading organisations ranging from the Police, Fire and Ambulance Services to Cheshire Branch of Unison, the NUT; the Cheshire Association of Secondary Heads and the National Association of Head Teachers; Age Concern, MIND, Crossroads, the Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT and the Cheshire Federation of Women’s Institutes and Manchester Airport.
A single unitary will save £21m a year; improve some of England’s best services; avoid senseless disruption and devolve decision-making and budgets to local communities in a way which has never before been attempted by an English local authority.
And it will also have the strategic ‘clout’ to hold its own against our neighbouring city regions of Liverpool and Manchester.
In the Local Government Association table of economic activity, Cheshire is the only Northern area with a place in the top twenty percent of sub regions.
The Country Council’s consultation response stresses that maintenance and development of Cheshire, the place as a driver for economic prosperity will be a key objective of a strong single unitary.
“Cheshire’s economic performance is the outstanding success story in the North West and should not be compromised.“
In its conclusions the county’s submission maintains that supporters of two-tier have failed to articulate any defined proposals or any response to the challenges offered to local government by the White Paper.
Splitting Cheshire into two is fatally flawed in three ways:- prohibitive costs, running the risk of financial shortfalls and service disruption; an absurd division line which does not relate to any sense of place and against existing militates partnerships and is no longer supported by the Administration of the District which made the submission.
“Yet a single unitary will be shown to have a high return in terms of “valued added” for service users and council tax payers coupled with low risk. It will be seen to meet and exceed the criteria set out in the White Paper Invitation and the judgement factors for prioritisation” added Mr Taylor.
IC/CS
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