March deadline for council shake-up, says minister

The government has said it will make a final decision on local government reorganisation (LGR) for Suffolk by March next year.

Jim McMahon, the minister for local government, devolution and regional growth, told Parliament on Thursday the government was reviewing decisions for 15 councils, including Suffolk.

McMahon said: "All options and proposals in these areas will remain under consideration and I'll approach all those with an open mind."

In March ministers had backed a plan to split Suffolk into three unitary authorities, but a legal challenge by Reform UK forced a delay.

The government wants to shake up local authorities by having just one council to provide services over a geographic area.

In June, Reform launched legal proceedings against the government to review the plan for three unitary authorities in Suffolk.

The government responded by withdrawing the plan in September, along with plans for Norfolk, Essex and Hampshire.

McMahon told MPs on Thursday, he was now satisfied the criteria the government had set to make its decision was "robust".

He would conclude the review of LGR plans for 15 areas, including Suffolk, by spring of next year at the latest, he added.

He did caution, however, that "it should be not assumed that the same proposal will be automatically selected".

Michael Hadwen, the leader of Reform-led Suffolk County Council, welcomed the government's stance.

He said: "It seems they are willing to listen. Possibly in December, more likely in the new year, the minister will sit down, review the business cases for Suffolk, talk to us about it, and then a decision will be made."

When asked what plan would be acceptable for Suffolk, Hadwen responded: "I know the three unitaries won't work for Suffolk.

"What I now need to work out is, was the one Suffolk business case the right one? I don't know. I need to look at the detail."

The district and borough councils in Suffolk had supported the plan for three unitary authorities.

Andy Mellon, the leader of the Green Party which runs Mid Suffolk District Council, said: "Given the twists and turns there have been on this journey, I'm not going to accept what we're told until it actually happens.

"We've been down this road before, and the government has pulled the plug."

Cliff Waterman, the Labour leader of West Suffolk Council, which is led by a coalition with West Suffolk Alliance and Independents, said: "It's a good announcement today. It moves things and it shows us that the government is still serious about rebuilding trust, confidence and efficiency into the local government system."

He said he still supported the three unitary plans for Suffolk, adding: "I'm confident the arguments we put forward in our submission still hold true.

"When the minister re-examines the proposals, I hope he'll agree that our proposal is still the best one."

The Conservative Group ran the previous administration at Suffolk County Council, which supported a one unitary bid for the county that was rejected by the government.

Richard Rout, the leader of the Conservative group, said he was hopeful this review may lead to a different outcome.

"It would seem strange for the secretary of state to remake exactly the same decision next year, particularly with many of the flaws in the prior decision being highlighted and then judicially reviewed," he said.

The government's announcement also confirmed elections would go ahead for district and borough councils in May next year along their current boundaries.

In May 2028, depending on the outcome of the review, elections will go ahead for the new authority or authorities in shadow form, with the new councils expected to be fully up and running by 2029.

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