On 2nd May, Somerset County Council’s Conservative leadership surprised the county’s 5 district councils by announcing it was starting a conversation about the future of local government in Somerset, including the option of replacing all 6 councils with one or more unitary authorities.

The County Council announcement is here. SCC argue that a unitary council can save £millions, reduce bureaucracy, and sustain council services.  Mendip and the other districts’ initial response is here – agreeing to help but putting the blame firmly on SCC’s finances. A second statement on 22nd May here pledges to work together and with Somerset CC on a joint review of local governance in Somerset, ‘to determine the best way of delivering local public services and meeting community outcomes in Somerset in the future’.

Somerset Liberal Democrats have welcomed the review (see here), saying ” We need a cost effective system that ensures democratic accountability as well as value for money. We all want the best services for our local residents. Any review exercise must involve the whole County. It must be cross authority, cross party and involve local people at every step. We must present a sustainable solution for Somerset with long term benefits for residents, protecting front line services at the same time as offering the best possible value for every pound of Council Tax. We recognise that there will be several options to be explored, we look forward to a sensible conversation on the future of our County.”.

There are reports of SCC’s worrying financial situation in the press here and here, which point to the LGA’s Peer Review report here. Somerset Lib Dem leader Jane Lock has blamed the council’s predicament on its decision to freeze council tax for six years after 2010, despite swingeing national cuts in funding, and at a time when austerity measures were increasing demand on services: “The reason Somerset has got to here is quite simply the political ideology that they would refuse to put up council tax. That’s left a £26m hole in the budget.”

There are also some concerns that a single Somerset unitary council based in Taunton could mean more decisions affecting Frome being taken even further away, unless this was accompanied by devolution to local areas. Many Mendip and Frome residents look north and east to employment, shopping, health and transport links with Bath, Wiltshire and Bristol rather than to Taunton.  Frome Town Council is increasingly taking on more work than the traditional parish council. But what are the other options to a single unitary? The ‘do nothing’ status quo is one, as is organising services differently within the same councils. Could Mendip become a unitary, or join up with South Somerset, and/or B&NES? Could the Frome area declare full independence?  It is not at all clear.

There was a brief discussion on our thoughts at Mendip Full Council on Monday 14th May. I asked for the feasible options, and the way the options will be assessed and judged, to be set out as soon as possible so that everyone can join in the conversation. Ten years ago a Lib Dem administration at Somerset proposed changing to a unitary council, but the bid was opposed by the districts and opposed by most residents at a referendum. It is the strain on County Council finances across the country, due to Government austerity cuts and the ever increasing demand for adult social care and other county services, which is forcing the question to be asked again.

Please let me know what you think.