Government can defer unitary start date in Northamptonshire if services would not be 'safe'

In a letter to the leaders of the existing district and borough councils, as well as the county councils, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) also goes into more detail surrounding its decision to appoint the leaders of the precursor (shadow) councils. Local councillors, who have had the choice taken away from them, have labelled the move ‘undemocratic’.The letter from Paul Rowsell, the head of the governance reform and democracy unit at MHCLG, also confirms that the shadow unitaries will be launched on May 11, and must hold their first meeting by June 4 – though given the current situation this may be a virtual meeting.

A number of opposition councillors, including the Labour leadership, have said that the reorganisation should be postponed to bring it into line with the elections in May next year, with this year’s having been postponed due to the coronavirus.

But the letter states: “The Government’s firm intention is for the new unitary authorities to go live on April 1, 2021 to deliver as soon as possible the improved local government that people in Northamptonshire deserve. This legislation enables this to happen.

“We will work closely with local council leaders and you and your teams to ensure that the safe transition of services on that date remains viable, assessing progress against key implementation milestones and developing any necessary contingency options to drive progress or review timescales.

“If local leaders, including of the county council, were unanimously to be of the view that the new unitary councils would not be able to deliver safe and legal services on April 1, 2021, we have, subject to Parliamentary approval, the necessary powers to defer the implementation date.”

Councillor Ian McCord, the current leader of South Northamptonshire, has been named the shadow leader of the new West Northamptonshire Council, while Kettering Borough leader Councillor Russell Roberts has been named shadow leader for the North.

The letter states: “The appointments reflect the discussions my officials have had with you and your leaders and are considered appropriate given the specified leaders’ role in driving unitary implementation across the whole of Northamptonshire.”