Latest news with #LocalGovernmentReorganisation
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Residents' views sought on 'quality of life'
The views of thousands of people across Cambridgeshire about their quality of life is being sought, to give councillors an insight. Cambridgeshire County Council said the survey would help influence business planning decisions and policies. Residents who live in the five district areas of the county will be asked to take part in the annual review. The authority said previous surveys had highlighted that roads and pavement maintenance, the cost of living, and mental health and loneliness were areas of concern. Data also showed that residents felt happy and safe, and that the county was a good place to raise children, the council said. The online and telephone survey will aim to speak to about 1,100 people in each of the five districts - Cambridge City, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire. The council added: "This year, for 2025, there are two questions to help introduce the concept of Local Government Reorganisation to residents and provide an early indication of awareness." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Related internet links
BBC News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Essex devolution: Council leaders back five-authority model
The majority of council leaders in Essex have lent their support to the idea of having five all-purpose authorities in the county, in what will be a radical shake-up of local current two-tier system of 15 district, unitary and county councils in Essex would be dramatically changed as part of the out of the 15 political leaders favour the five-council proposal, which is due to be sent to government by 21 of the leaders in favour - Basildon's Gavin Callaghan - previously told the BBC it was a "real opportunity to take back control" of services. Councillors across the county are due to discuss this over the next week, but Westminster will ultimately make a interim plan on Local Government Reorganisation for Greater Essex states that this model will retain "a sense of local place and communities".The Conservative leaders of Harlow, Braintree, Epping and Essex county have not backed the five-council model - and neither has Thurrock's Labour leader John Kent. The Labour government has been encouraging areas across England to put together devolution plans, and to elect regional mayors who will be given more five new councils in Essex would be unitary authorities, meaning they take charge of all local services such as bin collections, highways and social County Council's social care currently takes up more than half its £1bn unitary authority would govern between 320,000 to 500,000 and would have an estimated 60-90 elected members - which the Essex plan says would ultimately cut down the number of councillors across the the fewer and larger the councils are in Essex, the more likely the Conservatives would win control. This is on the basis of how people in the county have voted in recent this is partly why Labour and other parties have been calling for five and the Tories preferring to the new councils are expected in May 2027 and the they would take over from existing councils in April May's county council elections were cancelled to allow local authorities to focus on developing the reorganisation City Council's Liberal Democrat leader Stephen Robinson said: "Dissembling the county and district councils: that is the difficult bit."Existing contracts will have to be split, changed and ended, and staff moved into the new Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Greens argued that the elections should still have gone ahead. Elections for the first Greater Essex mayor, representing 1.8 million people, are planned for May report notes that the role of the police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) will end and its roles will be taken on by the new mayor. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
27-02-2025
- BBC News
Oxfordshire district councils HQ might face further delays
The leader of a district council has said plans for the local authority's new home may be set back due to local government Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) wants to build a new complex opposite Didcot Parkway train station to use as its HQ with the Vale of White Horse District former home was destroyed by fire in 2015 and staff have been using Abbey House in Abingdon since leader David Rouane said it might have to pause any decision "until we have a clearer picture of our future". The project has already experienced several delays and SODC has not said publicly what it expects the project to last permanent office in Crowmarsh Gifford burned down after Andrew Main, from Rokemarsh, near Wallingford, drove a car filled with gas canisters into was detained in a mental health unit in May Rouane said it had been progressing plans for a potential permanent home at the Didcot Gateway. "However, in light of Local Government Reorganisation, we may now have to pause any decision until we have a clearer picture of our future," he said, referring to Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet unanimous support for the government's fast-track council move would likely mean reducing the number of councils in the county to one or more unitary authorities. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
