On 6 February 2008 the Secretary of State requested the Boundary Committee for England to advise her on the unitary proposals made by Exeter City Council, Ipswich Borough Council and Norwich City Council. The request for advice is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government’s website.
The Secretary of State provided guidance with the request and the Committee must have regard to that guidance in formulating its advice to the Secretary of State.
These frequently asked questions (FAQs) seek to provide all stakeholders interested in any of the reviews in Devon, Norfolk or Suffolk with straightforward information on how the Committee is intending on providing advice and to clarify our interpretation of the Secretary of State’s guidance. We will update the FAQs throughout the review to provide further information, as required.
What is the time-table for the review?
The indicative stages of the review are as follows. Please note that the precise dates within this time-table may change:
| Stage One 3 March – 11 April 2008 |
6 Weeks | Relevant background information on each county area provided by local authorities. Concepts for new unitary authorities relating broadly to the criteria submitted to the Boundary Committee |
| Stage Two 14 April – 4 July 2008 |
12 weeks | The Boundary Committee will consider the concepts and seek information as necessary from local authorities and other stakeholders. It will consider this information and make a decision on what to publish in draft proposals |
Draft proposals published
| Stage Three 7 July – 26 September 2008 |
12 weeks | Public consultation on draft proposals, including on the specific boundaries of any new unitary authorities. Financial information will be collected to assess the affordability of the draft proposals. |
| Stage Four 29 Sept – 19 December 2008 |
12 weeks | Consultation responses and financial information considered. Final decision by Committee on what to advice to provide to the Secretary of State |
Advice and alternative proposals (if any) made to the Secretary of State – by 31 December 2008
When will any new unitary authorities be created?
The Boundary Committee has been requested to provide advice by 31 December 2008. The Government are responsible for making orders implementing any proposals it chooses to and these orders would specify when any resulting unitary authorities will come into force.
How independent from Government is the Boundary Committee for England?
The Boundary Committee is a statutory Committee of the Electoral Commission, an independent body established by Act of Parliament.
In the Secretary of State’s request for advice, what does ‘an alternative proposal’ mean?
An alternative proposal is a term taken from the legislation. It means a proposal for unitary local government within a county area that is ‘alternative’ to the original proposal – i.e. alternative to the Ipswich, Exeter and Norwich bids for unitary status on their existing boundaries.
What will be in the draft proposals?
The Committee intends consulting on one or more draft proposals for a pattern of unitary local government for each county area. It will indicate which of these is its preferred option for each county. The draft proposals will be identified on the basis that, subject to public consultation and a detailed assessment of their affordability, they are likely to have the capacity to meet the criteria the Secretary of State has asked the Committee to have regard in reaching its conclusions. The Committee will take a view on what it considers is likely to provide the best overall pattern of unitary alternative proposals within any county area when deciding what draft proposals to publish.
The specific boundaries of each of the options for the draft proposals will be shown in maps within the report.
What boundaries will you be using for any proposed new unitary authorities?
The Boundary Committee intends using parishes as the building blocks for any unitary authority it identifies.
Is the status quo/existing two-tier system an option?
The existing two-tier system will only remain if we are unable to identify an alternative proposal or if the Secretary of State does not choose to implement an alternative proposal.
Could you recommend to the Secretary of State that the Exeter, Ipswich and Norwich bids be accepted?
It would not be in the interests of either local government or council tax payers for the Committee to advise the Secretary of State to implement a bid that has already been demonstrated not to have met the affordability test.
What is the status of Plymouth and Torbay in the Devon review?
The request for advice from the Secretary of State is clear that boundary changes to the existing unitary authorities of Plymouth and Torbay are only to be considered if the Committee judges them to be an essential part of a pattern of new unitary authorities in the existing two-tier Devon.
The request also requires the Committee under any such proposal to maintain Plymouth city and Torbay borough as ‘concepts’. That means both those authorities will continue in being.
Can the Committee’s proposals cross county boundaries?
The Committee has been specifically asked by the Secretary of State to consider possible options for unitary local government within specified county areas. The exception to this is the boundary between Great Yarmouth borough in Norfolk and Waveney district in Suffolk.
How can parish and town councils be involved in the review?
We will be asking county and district councils to work with and consider the views of parish and town councils during Stages One and Two before suggesting individual boundaries for new unitary authorities to us.
We see the role of parish and town councils as particularly important when considering the boundaries of proposed new unitary authorities, on which we will be seeking views during Stage Three of the process. We will be briefing parish councils during Stage One on the review process and their involvement.
How will you consult interested parties?
We will work with local authorities and other interested parties during Stages One and Two of the review when we are considering what draft proposals to publish. When the draft proposals are published for public consultation at the beginning of Stage Three, we will be seeking the views more widely.
The request for advice states that the volume of representations for or against a proposal should not of itself be considered to provide a definitive view of that proposal’s merits. Accordingly, the Committee will place greater weight on well-argued representations and submissions than on mass petitions, irrespective of the number of signatures they attract.
Why are you consulting in the summer?
The Secretary of State’s deadline of 31 December 2008 for the completion of the review limits our options for consultation. We also wish to complete the review as soon as possible to lessen the period of uncertainty for local government in the three counties.
There are district elections in some areas in May 2008. How will that affect the review?
These elections will still take place. We will work with affected local authorities to ensure that they – like other councils in the three counties - are able to respond to the Committee’s information requests.
What will happen to the county elections scheduled for 2009?
This is a matter for the Secretary of State. The Committee will provide advice on the matters requested. The Secretary of State will then take a decision on whether to implement any alternative proposal that the Committee has made and will be responsible for deciding when it will be implemented. It is unlikely the Secretary of State will take a decision on the county elections in 2009 until the Committee has provided its advice.
If there is a new unitary authority that includes part of Norfolk and part of Suffolk which county will it be in for ceremonial purposes?
This is not a matter on which the Secretary of State has sought the Boundary Committee’s advice. It does not have a view on the issue. This will be a matter for the Secretary of State to decide.
Where can I find more information?
There is more information available on the Boundary Committee’s website.
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