Unitary debate backed
Nov 3 2007 by Ben Guy, The Journal
THE director of a community action group has welcomed the public debate into the restructuring of local government.
David Francis, director of Community Action Northumberland, said he had been encouraged by the debate into how parish councils and voluntary groups will work under a new unitary authority for the county.
Earlier this week The Journal reported how a group of Northumberland parish councils had written to the county council and the Northumberland Strategic Partnership (NSP) to outline their concerns about how the county would be divided under the new authority.
Dr Francis said that such debate was an important part of establishing the right structure.
He said: “I have been encouraged to see such active debate within the county about the whole natural communities issue, particularly among my colleagues in parish councils and the voluntary sector.
“In brief, this is about division of a very large county into three broad areas and 26 more local areas supported by all parish councils for a good deal of service planning and consultation.
“The idea is making sure decisions are made at the right level with the key councillors, local people and organisations involved, including parish councils.”
A key factor in the debate is about where the boundaries of the ‘Characteristic Communities’ should be set.
The letter from the parish councils argued that more consultation was needed to ensure the right towns and villages were grouped together under the new arrangements.
Following that, the consultation period was extended by four weeks, to the end of November.
Dr Francis added: “The process is not rushed but the extra time must be used to put more flesh on the bones of exactly what these local partnerships will do and how big a say they will have in determining the services of their areas.
“I want to see the 150 parish councils, and the wider community and voluntary sector, getting involved in a two-way dialogue with the NSP and the council.
“This is a massive opportunity for far greater say in the way we are governed locally.”
