‘Single unitary council could save Herts £142m a year,’ says estimates

Estimates suggest that replacing all 10 of Hertfordshire’s district and borough councils with a single unitary council could save £142 million a year, it has emerged.

At a meeting of Hertfordshire County Council on Tuesday (July 21), council leader Cllr David Williams highlighted the government’s wish for two-tier authorities – such as Hertfordshire – to move to a unitary model.

And he revealed that the county council had commissioned consultants to look at options for the future in Hertfordshire.

Leaders of all 10 district and borough councils have already publicly vowed to oppose any plans for a single unitary authority.

But at the meeting Cllr Williams said the change could deliver improved and more efficient services, as well as substantial savings.

“We have achieved a huge amount, working with the structures that we have,” he said.

“But these very structures are fast approaching their limit in terms of the changing economic and social environment.”

Under Hertfordshire’s existing two-tier system the 10 district and borough councils provide a range of services such as planning, environmental health, bin collection, housing and licensing.

And the county council provides services such as education, libraries, social care, highways – and even the fire service.

But under a unitary system all services would be provided by a single council.

At the meeting Cllr Williams pointed to ‘cost, complexity and overlap’ in the current system – specifically highlighting the allowances currently paid to 526 councillors across Hertfordshire.

And he said: “We can deliver improved and more efficient services, joining up agendas, such as social care and housing, that at present require 10 different sets of relationships to be developed.

“We know that structural reform could also result in substantial savings for the public purse, placing Hertfordshire in a more secure situation in the face of an uncertain financial outlook.”

Cllr Williams pointed to government declared intentions to ‘strengthen local institutions, including establishing more unitary authorities’.

And he said that such was the pressure for change from government he expected to see the end of two-tier government by the next General Election.

He also reported to the meeting that he had met with district and borough council leaders last Tuesday, to consider government plans for devolution and local government reform.

Within days of that meeting those leaders – representing all political parties – published a statement opposing a move towards a unitary authority.

And Cllr Williams said it was “disappointing” that they seemed intent on ruling out options, without considering the savings and efficiencies that could be made.

He also said there was a need to look at authorities such as Durham, Cornwall, Wiltshire and Buckinghamshire that had established unitary authorities.

As well as options for a single unitary council, there have been suggestions that Hertfordshire could be split into two or more unitary authorities.

Later in the meeting it was suggested – not by Cllr Williams – that replacing the current system with one unitary council could save up to £142m a year. Replacing it with two could save £105m a year.

Those figures are believed to be part of a presentation that has been shared with leading councillors across the county.

And Cllr Terry Hone, executive member for community safety and waste management, told the meeting that merging waste services could save up to £22m alone.

Cllr Williams initially raised the issue in a statement at the meeting, which meant that it was not debated – although it was referred to in some questions to the executive later.

And this was questioned by Labour leader Cllr Judi Billing and Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition Cllr Stephen GIles-Medhurst.

Cllr Billing said it was an ‘enormously important’ and ‘massively biased’ statement and said that it was ‘extraordinary’ to allow the statement but not debate.

Meanwhile Cllr Giles-Medhurst ‘wondered’ whether a special council meting needed to be called to discuss the statement.

And he asked whether statements on potential financial savings would be made available.

Council chairman Cllr Colette Wyatt-Lowe told the meeting that there would be an opportunity to debate this in much more depth at a later date.