As you may all be aware, Northamptonshire’s local authorities have been “invited” by the government to submit a proposal to restructure local government in Northamptonshire by the end of August 2018.
Specifically, the councils are consulting until 22nd July 2018 on a proposal to replace the existing County, District and Borough councils with two new unitary authorities: (see www.futurenorthants.co.uk for more information).
The current proposal is that one of these Unitary Authorities will consist of;
Daventry District Council [pop, 80,000; Band D council tax – £156; in the black],
South Northants District Council [pop 90,000; Band D council tax – £189; in the black] and
Northampton Borough Council [pop 225,000; Band D council tax – £219; in the red]
There are obvious disadvantages on their way for residents of Daventry & South Northants districts, under this set up…
Unfortunately the Government has set the criteria, stating that any Unitary Authority formed must have a population of at least 300,000; notwithstanding the fact that of the 55 UAs in England, only 11 have populations of 300,000 or more.
When I asked what evidence there was to support this figure as the minimum requirement for a Unitary Authority, Professor Colin Copus of Du Montfort University replied, “Excellent question; none, no evidence whatsoever…”
Dixie Hughes
I strongly urge everyone to complete the consultation questionnaire available via www.futurenorthants.co.uk before 22nd July.