Call for talks over council's promises

Dec 18 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

LEADERS of a Northumberland borough council are calling for an urgent meeting with a Government minister amid growing concerns over the advent of a single super council for the county in April.

Blyth Valley Council bosses want to meet local government minister John Healey over fears the all-purpose unitary authority will fail to deliver on a raft of promises made by its supporters.

The borough council – which strongly opposed the bid to create a single unitary for Northumberland – wants to hold the Government to account and ensure benefits promised to the people of the county in the shake-up are delivered.

The successful bid for the unitary authority was drawn up by the previous Labour administration at County Hall, despite opposition from all four of the county’s MPs, all six district councils and the majority of residents.

Blyth Valley Council’s move comes as the new Liberal Democrat administration at County Hall is planning up to 800 job losses, a savings package totalling £25.5m, service cuts and a 4.8% council tax rise to balance the new authority’s first budget.

Borough council leaders say the new authority is set to renege on a number of promises made in the successful bid to the Government. These are:

Delivering improved services at lower cost.

Equalising council tax bills to the lowest level – currently in Blyth Valley – during 2009/10.

Devolving power and decision-making to local communities.

Keeping any council tax increase low in the first year of unitary government.

Yesterday Blyth Valley Council leader Dave Stephens said: “Local government in Northumberland is being turned upside down because promises of improved services at lower costs were made to central Government. Local communities were told they could expect improved access to services and that arrangements would be made at local level for communities to manage local services.

“These promises are in stark contrast to the reality of what is happening, with massive service cuts being proposed which will seriously reduce the quality of services in Blyth Valley and other areas of the county.

“Residents have a right to expect the unitary authority to deliver the promises that have been made to them. Government spent six months in 2007 scrutinising the proposals for a single unitary before it announced its creation in July 2007.”

Lib Dem county council leader Jeff Reid admitted that some of the pledges made in the single unitary bid would not be delivered next year.

“This blueprint was written by the previous Labour administration two years ago when the world was a very different place. Some people think local government reorganisation is the cause of all the problems, but we have had a global recession, banks being nationalised and a huge economic downturn in the UK.

“We have got to forget the blueprint at the moment because it was written in a different time. This is not how we would wish the new authority to be born but there are very tough decisions to be made. It is either a 4.8% council tax increase or more jobs to go.

“In the end the new council will deliver the services which Liberal Democrats believe the people of Northumberland deserve.

“Blyth Valley Council has tried at every opportunity to block the birth of the new unitary council.”

The county council claims it is facing a unique challenge next year – making major, Government-ordered efficiency savings at the same time as having to reorganisation seven councils into one new unitary authority.

People power has won the day in the choice of the name for Northumberland’s new super council.

County councillors agreed last night that the new unitary authority – which takes over in April – will be called Northumberland County Council. They rejected the alternative of calling the all-purpose authority Northumberland Council.

Last night’s decision followed a public consultation exercise in which people voted 2-1 in favour of Northumberland County Council. Only staff at the six existing district councils backed the Northumberland Council option – voting 3-1 in favour of that name.

Page 2: Warnings ignored