Local Government Reorganisation - Wiltshire

The Secretary of State has announced her decision. Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has said that she is minded to create a single unitary council for the whole of Wiltshire.

Wiltshire County Council has submitted a bid to create one council. Their bid has been approved. It is likely that nine other areas will be similarly affected and will see unitary authorities being created. However, many of these decisions will be subject to judicial review.

Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council and Congleton Borough Council brought a judicial review against the Secretary of State in September. The outcome was unsuccessful, but leave for appeal was granted. Congleton took the lead on the appeal and received funding from a number of other authorities, including West Wiltshire. The appeal was heard in January 2008, but was again unsuccessful. Shropshire continues forward to unitary status alongside Wiltshire and the other five areas.

The County Council is pressing ahead with its proposals. The four districts in Wiltshire are working with the County Council to ensure that any change would be successful. In the meantime, some of the districts are likely to participate in the judicial review after the Secretary of State's decision.

If implemented, the unitary authority would be effective by April 2009. It is likely that there would be fresh elections shortly before or after that date for the unitary authority.

West Wiltshire District Council had strongly opposed the County Council's bid. In recent press releases it has been made clear that the Council remains of the view that the unitary would be too remote and would not achieve the desired efficiencies and savings. Despite this, whatever happens, this Council is committed to ensuring that public services are maintained and that improvements are achieved wherever possible.

For more information you should read:

• The Communities and Local Government website where you can see the decisions have been made up and down the country - www.communities.gov.uk
• The County Council website which contains a copy of their bid together with their implementation plan - www.wiltshire.gov.uk

The West Wiltshire site also holds information about Local Government Reorganisation. If you read on you will find material that relates to previous reviews, our critique of the County Council proposals and an alternative proposal that we regard as "The Right Way Forward".

We provided the Secretary of State with three documents:

• A covering letter [pdf file - opens in new window]
• Your choice, your future - a critique of one unitary council for the whole of Wiltshire [pdf file - opens in new window]
• Your voice, your future - the right way forward for local government in Wiltshire [pdf file - opens in new window]