Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
Democratic Services

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Agenda item

Chief Executive

Decision:

Decisions Made by Cabinet:

 

1.1   To provisionally endorse the approach of formally dissolving the two district Council’s and creating a new larger District Council.

 

1.2   To utilise Transformation Funding to jointly conduct stakeholder, public and staff engagement during Autumn 2017.

 

1.2a Subject to the outcome of the public engagement a draft (DCLG compliant) business case for the dissolution of BMSDCs and creation of a new single district council for the area could be considered by each Council.

 

Reason for decisions: In order to ensure that the two districts were in the best possible position to respond to, and take advantage of, the emerging opportunities and challenges within Local Government and Suffolk.

 

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:  Other options considered as per the report.

 

Any Declarations of Interest declared: None

 

Any Dispensation Granted: None

 

Minutes:

The Chief Executive gave an introduction to report MCa/17/17 which gave a balance of positive and negative reasons for merging into one Council.  In order to ensure the two districts were in the best possible position to respond to, and take advantage of, the emerging opportunities and challenges within Local Government and Suffolk both Council Leaders had requested the Chief Executive to investigate the various options available to further evolve the Councils partnership working.

 

It was stressed no formal decision would be made but the recommendation was to endorse the approach of creating one new, larger District Council and to conduct stakeholder, public and staff engagement.

 

The Chairman, Councillor Gowrley, took Councillor Merchant’s question which was:

 

“The recommendation on page 14 is described as an ‘endorsement’.  Endorsement means confirmation of a decision already made.  But isn’t this Cabinet making the decision?  Because it is described as an endorsement, and not a decision, it cannot be called into Scrutiny, nor will it go to Full Council.  Isn’t there a democratic deficiency here?  Some people might say the two councils merging together has come along by stealth?”

 

In response Councillor Gowrley stated:

 

At my request, and that of Councillor Jenkins, the Chief Executive has reviewed our existing partnership arrangements between Mid Suffolk and Babergh.

 

The Chief Executive is recommending that the existing two Councils are dissolved and a new single council is created for our area in order to ensure that we remain ‘fit for purpose’ for the future.

 

Clearly this is not a final decision that either Cabinet can make without comprehensive public engagement and a detailed Business Case.  Such work is not something that either council would do however unless the Cabinets first believe that there is some merit in the Chief Executive’s recommendation.

 

That is therefore what we are doing – simply ‘provisionally endorsing’ the concept in order to enable that further work to be carried out. 

 

We are not today deciding to become one council.  After such public engagement and having seen a detailed a Business Case, if both Cabinets still believe that the approach has merit, then I anticipate that this would first be considered by both Scrutiny Committees and Councils.

 

Councillor Gowrley then moved the recommendation which was seconded by Councillor Horn.

 

Councillor Stringer brought up a point of order as to why the recommendations were being proposed and seconded before debate.  The Monitoring Officer, Emily Yule, responded by explaining this was standard process.

 

Councillor Stringer questioned as to why the Chief Executive stated we were living in a “post devolution world” even though devolution had not happened.  In response the Chief Executive explained he meant it was a post devolution discussion.

 

Concern was expressed as to why a business case had not been submitted as well as the amount of public consultations already taking place.  In response Councillor Gowrley explained the Chief Executive had outlined reasons but was happy to amend the recommendation so it included as 2.1b:

 

“Subject to the outcome of public engagement a draft (DCLG compliant) business case for the dissolution of BMSDC’s and creation of a new single district council for the area could be considered by each Council.”

 

This amendment was moved by Councillor Gowrley and seconded by Councillor Horn.

 

The Chairman then invited questions from Councillors Welham, Mansel, Ekpenyong, Marchant and Eburne, to which Cabinet members responded in relation to the timing of the decision, the high level financial aspect of the proposal and the cost of public consultation and the lack of business case.  The first step would be to conduct public consultation, there was no control over the Boundary Committee timing and that the Business Case would be developed at the same time as the consultation.  A formal decision would then be made from the Business Case which would go before Overview and Scrutiny Committee as well as Full Council.  The Chief Executive also explained a comparison had been completed with Suffolk Coastal in respect of a similar exercise and their telephone poll cost had come to around £20,000.

 

By 8 votes to 1:

 

RESOLUTION 1

 

That the approach of formally dissolving the two district councils; and creating a new larger District Council be provisionally endorsed.

 

RESOLUTION 2

 

That the council’s utilise the Transformation Funding to jointly conduct stakeholder, public and staff engagement during Autumn 2017.

 

RESOLUTION 3

 

That subject to the outcome of the public engagement a draft (DCLG compliant) business case for the dissolution of BMSDC’s and creation of a new single district council for the area could be considered by each Council.

 

 

Supporting documents: