'Delay unitary' says Corby Council leader

Cllr Beattie has been a key part of reorganisation discussions and is privvy to information about how much the pandemic could be costing the county.

Corby Council’s leader is calling on the Government to delay Northamptonshire’s new unitary councils.

Cllr Tom Beattie, who has been in the thick of making decisions about closing down all seven of Northamptonshire’s councils and replacing them with two new super councils, thinks that the pandemic has now made the task almost impossible.

He met with his fellow Corby Labour councillors online last week and has put out a statement calling on Government to rethink the decision.

Corby was the only one of Northamptonshire’s seven councils that voted against unitary reorganisation in 2018 and had preferred to keep things as they were and continue with the two tier current system that has been in place since the 1970s.

The crisis and its impact on local councils, who are having to set up lots of new services to help residents and businesses get through it, has strengthened Corby’s view that unitary is not the right move for now.

Cllr Beattie said: “Corby’s position on the proposed establishment of unitary local government has always been clear. We were the only council to vote against the proposals, in line with overwhelming opposition from the Corby public. We submitted a consultation response to the Government at the time expressing concern at what we thought was a very challenging timetable and offering an alternative evolutionary model. Despite that we have put our shoulder to the wheel along with the other councils to ensure we get effective local government in Northamptonshire that delivers for all of our residents.

“However, that already challenging timetable has become even more of a challenge given the right and proper focus on dealing with the current health crisis.

“We would urge the Government to be prepared to be flexible and delay implementation of the unitary councils if it appears the current timetable cannot be met.”

The unitary reorganisation is estimated to cost £43m to set up – although senior officers have said the funds will be recouped in efficiency savings over the coming years.

However there are concerns about the finances of the boroughs due to the impact of the pandemic. As yet no reports have been made public by either Corby, Kettering or Wellingborough or East Northants Council.

The county council has put out a document on Friday (May 1) which said the pandemic could leave it with a £27m blackhole due to increased costs and reduced income.