Agenda item

(voting:unanimous in favour)

The Leader of Council introduced the report and noted that there had been a briefing prior to the Council meeting which most Members had attended.  She said the Secretary of State had proposed there should be a single unitary council in Somerset from April 2023 and the report outlined how South Somerset would engage with the Government and the other Somerset Councils to progress and implement this.  She outlined the history of the District Councils proposal for two unitary authorities for Somerset and the Somerset County Council proposal for one unitary authority.  She noted the consultation and local poll which had taken place and the criteria under which the bids had been assessed.  She said that all Councils were now positively engaging in the process and there had been meetings between all Council Leaders and Chief Executives.  A detailed timetable was not yet known but the negotiation of the Structural Change Order was likely to be during August/September.  The MHCLG would then prepare the Structural Change Order.  She confirmed that all District Councillors would remain until April 2023.  Because of the short time frames, delegated authority was sought for the Chief Executive to negotiate the terms of the Structural Change Order in consultation with the Leader of Council and Monitoring Officer.  She noted that the proposed Member Working Group was not a requirement but she felt that in the interest of transparency it was needed.

In response to questions, the Leader of Council and Chief Executive advised:

·         The report would not be amended on the point regarding the number of or type of responses to the consultation or local poll.

·         There would be an increase in staff workload to undertake the work required by the MHCLG.

·         Officers may propose a number of options in the review of the number of Councillors for the new unitary authority but the MHCLG would make the final decision.

·         It was not known if a full consultation process would be part of the initial review of the number of Councillors for the new unitary authority but it was more likely in the full review proposed to take place after April 2023.

·         The district councils had hoped for a more detailed response on the Secretary of State’s decision.

·         Sedgemoor DC were also setting up a cross-party members working group.

·         The elections in May 2022 would be for Councillors to the new unitary authority and some District Councillors may choose to stand in that election.  But the SSDC District Councillors would remain until April 2023.  There would be a briefing sheet for Town and Parish Councils on this point.

·         The Councillors elected to the new unitary authority would be responsible for implementing the arrangements for the new council.

·         Officers and Leaders would work together to achieve the best solution and governance in the Structural Change Order.

·         The Leader would keep the Green Party member informed during the process.

During discussion the following points were made:

·         To attempt a review of the number of Councillors in the new unitary authority for inclusion in the Structural Change Order would be unusually rushed at a time when officers were already stretched when such a review was normally conducted over a year. It would be sensible to elect two councilors to each County Division and hold the full review with the Boundary Commission after the elections.

·         South Somerset Councillors had a history of working together on issues to represent the people of South Somerset irrespective of political group.

·         The Scrutiny Committee had endorsed the recommendations at their meeting earlier that week and their questions were answered at the District Executive meeting.

·         A swift review of the number of Councillors for the new unitary authority now was a risk which could satisfy no-one and the new council would have to work with for years.

At the conclusion of the debate, the Leader of Council proposed the recommendations and they were seconded by the Deputy Leader and Councillor Dean Ruddle.  Members in the Council Chamber unanimously supported the recommendations.

(voting: unanimous in favour)