Battle over future government of Suffolk goes on
Monday, 7th December 2009.
Councillors battling against Suffolk minus Ipswich becoming a huge single unitary authority under local government re-organisation are considering carrying on the fight after the latest setback.
Hopes that the historic idea of West Suffolk might be resurrected received a serious blow in the Appeal Court last week.
St Edmundsbury was among three councils which won a High Court ruling in July that the Boundary Committee should have taken into account the views of Suffolk's residents before putting forward a favoured option of a unitary authority for Ipswich and a single unitary authority for the rest of Suffolk.
But the Appeal Court has set this judgement aside after the Boundary Committee appealed.
Re-organisation will see the end of the county's seven district councils, including the Borough of St Edmundsbury, but a survey showed residents preferred the idea of changing to three unitary authorities - Ipswich, East Suffolk and West Suffolk - rather than two.
In a joint statement the leaders of the councils represented at court, Cllr Geoffrey Jaggard (Forest Heath), Cllr John Griffiths (St Edmundsbury) and Cllr Ray Herring (Suffolk Coastal), said: "We find it deeply frustrating, and extremely disappointing, that there will now be no opportunity to make the Boundary Committee take the views of local people into account.
"Its advice to ministers on the future shape of local government in the county will ignore the polling evidence which shows strong support for a proper consultation on three unitaries.
" The Boundary Committee says it has spoken to 20,000 individuals and organisations in Suffolk, Norfolk and Devon which is a ridiculously tiny proportion of all those interested in the quality and accountability of their local services.
"The Boundary Committee is accountable to no-one. We, however, are accountable to our residents, and will continue working to ensure their voices are heard.
"We will now take some time to look at our next steps, whether that's appealing to the Supreme Court or taking our case directly to officials and ministers in Whitehall."
Hopes that the historic idea of West Suffolk might be resurrected received a serious blow in the Appeal Court last week.
St Edmundsbury was among three councils which won a High Court ruling in July that the Boundary Committee should have taken into account the views of Suffolk's residents before putting forward a favoured option of a unitary authority for Ipswich and a single unitary authority for the rest of Suffolk.
But the Appeal Court has set this judgement aside after the Boundary Committee appealed.
Re-organisation will see the end of the county's seven district councils, including the Borough of St Edmundsbury, but a survey showed residents preferred the idea of changing to three unitary authorities - Ipswich, East Suffolk and West Suffolk - rather than two.
In a joint statement the leaders of the councils represented at court, Cllr Geoffrey Jaggard (Forest Heath), Cllr John Griffiths (St Edmundsbury) and Cllr Ray Herring (Suffolk Coastal), said: "We find it deeply frustrating, and extremely disappointing, that there will now be no opportunity to make the Boundary Committee take the views of local people into account.
"Its advice to ministers on the future shape of local government in the county will ignore the polling evidence which shows strong support for a proper consultation on three unitaries.
" The Boundary Committee says it has spoken to 20,000 individuals and organisations in Suffolk, Norfolk and Devon which is a ridiculously tiny proportion of all those interested in the quality and accountability of their local services.
"The Boundary Committee is accountable to no-one. We, however, are accountable to our residents, and will continue working to ensure their voices are heard.
"We will now take some time to look at our next steps, whether that's appealing to the Supreme Court or taking our case directly to officials and ministers in Whitehall."
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