What options have been considered?

Two options for unitary government in Warwickshire have been considered:

1. A single county-wide unitary council for Warwickshire
2. Two unitary councils for north and south Warwickshire

The district and borough councils have commissioned  external consultants, Deloitte to review these two options against the six criteria that the government will use for their final decision. New unitary structures should aim to:

• achieve a single tier of local government for the whole area.
• be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial challenges.
• prioritise high quality and sustainable public services.
• show how councils in the area have worked together to meet local needs and are informed by local views.
• support devolution arrangements.
• enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment.

Following this independent evaluation the report concluded that the option which scored highest was the proposal for two unitary councils. The full report from Deloitte can be found here.

Deloitte found that one of the six criteria around financial savings, favoured the option of a single new unitary authority covering the whole of Warwickshire. However, with a combined turnover of almost £1bn, the difference between the two options was relatively small, around £3m per year.

On the other five criteria, Deloitte concluded that the option of creating two new unitary authorities scored higher. Some benefits supporting this included:

• The north and south of the county have different economies, which would be difficult to merge.
• The approach ensures councils can respond quickly to local needs and build stronger community relationships.
• The two-unitary model maintains a sense of real place and community.
• The current county council area of Warwickshire is not seen as a coherent single place.
• A two-unitary model is best for Warwickshire as it balances size with a focus on responding to local needs.