Why now?

Why is it time for change?

Over the last 30 years there have been several changes to the structure of local government nationally and successive governments have supported moves towards unitary councils. This has been the case in Buckinghamshire, Cumbria, Dorset, Northamptonshire, and Somerset which have already moved to unitary structures.

With the prospect of the setting up of strategic authorities across the whole of England, the government believes further change is needed to ensure consistency across the whole country.

While the two-tier system of local government has served communities well for years, Warwickshire councils recognise that the proposals offer an opportunity to make things simpler.

Indeed, there is often confusion from residents about which council provides which services. In late 2020, a pre-consultation on options for local government in Warwickshire took place. Two-thirds of residents who were surveyed agreed with the idea of replacing the two-tier system with two single-tier (unitary) councils to run local government services across Warwickshire.

The five district and borough councils of Warwickshire have collaborated on an interim plan that would abolish the existing six councils and create two new unitary councils, which they believe would:

• Ensure our communities stay connected to the council.
• Simplify services and clarity on who provides them.
• Balance the size of the council with the need to address the diverse needs of residents.
• Build on the strengths of the district and borough councils in working with local people.

 

Services provided by our councils

 

• Town & Parish Councils
  • local amenities such as footpaths, cemeteries and small parks as well as events

 

• District & Borough Councils
  • housing and homelessness
  • environmental health
  • community protection
  • CCTV
  • planning
  • building control
  • waste collections
  • car parking
  • licensing
  • parks and green spaces
  • elections
  • sports and leisure centres and facilities

 

• County Council
  • adult social care
  • highways and transport
  • libraries
  • public health
  • fire and rescue
  • children’s services
  • special educational needs and disabilities
  • waste disposal