People in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are being given a further opportunity to have their say in shaping the future of local government.
The Government wants to change the current structure of local authorities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by 2028, through a process known as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). LGR will replace all seven of the county, city and district councils that currently exist. The new unitary councils that would succeed these current authorities would be responsible for all the local government services in the geographic areas they cover, except for those provided by Town and Parish Councils.
The County Council’s recent annual Quality of Life survey highlighted that just under two thirds (63%) of those residents who took part knew nothing about Local Government Reorganisation, with just under half (46%) having never heard of LGR.
Today (Wednesday, 3 September), an information campaign about Local Government Reorganisation launches with a second phase of engagement running until Friday 3 October, which invites views on the preferred option being developed by Cambridgeshire County Council – known as ‘Option A’.
Option A shares Cambridgeshire and Peterborough between two new council areas – one in the North, building upon areas currently covered by Peterborough City Council, Huntingdonshire and Fenland District Councils, and one in the South, which builds upon the areas currently covered by Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire and South Cambridgeshire District Councils. These new authorities would also incorporate the responsibilities and resources for their areas currently held by the County Council.
Of the three preferred options being developed by local councils in response to the Government, Cambridgeshire County Council’s leadership believes that Option A best meets the Government’s criteria. It balances the needs and services for both urban and rural communities, whilst delivering reduced duplication, greater accountability and financial sustainability. It would also support devolution and economic growth across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, by creating two strong and equal partners in the devolution arrangements led by the Mayoral Combined Authority.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Chief Executive, Dr Stephen Moir said: “Almost 3,000 residents and 186 stakeholders contributed to the initial phase of engagement about Local Government Reorganisation. The responses received told us about the key priorities for residents and those of many of our partners and stakeholders, including town and parish councils, businesses and the community and voluntary sector. It was clear that council size, high quality, accessible and responsive services, democratic accountability and value for money were all important.”
“We believe that the creation of two well-balanced councils, each supported by one of the geographic county’s two major cities and offering financial resilience and sustainability, will achieve fairer outcomes for all our communities and create more equal, more empowered and more efficient local government for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in the future.
“Option A will also enable stronger alignment with the identities of our local areas, and the daily patterns of people’s lives, in areas such as travel, access to the NHS, jobs, education and training. It will respect the role of town and parish councils, and support more localised services and democratic accountability. This option will also create new councils large enough to deliver quality services and infrastructure, which are better able to withstand future financial shocks.
“We’ve used the County Council’s approved guiding principles of size, sustainability, safety, simplicity, and synchronicity to shape this option. These principles will help to strengthen services and minimise disruption as we move into the next phase of local government for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.”
Following this second and more detailed stage of engagement, a preferred option will be discussed by the Full Council on Tuesday 21 October, prior to a submission being made to the Government in November.
For more information on LGR and to complete the survey, head to Cambridgeshire County Council’s website: Your Future Councils - Your Voice.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Full Council meeting on 21 October will be live streamed on our YouTube channel.
