Latest news with #RichardRout
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Suffolk given £300k for devolution plans
A county is being allocated £290,000 to help develop plans for council restructuring. As one of the areas to be fast-tracked for devolution, Suffolk's current county and local councils will be scrapped and replaced by single-tier authorities. Local government minister Jim McMahon said the funding should be split between councils and hoped areas would collectively submit a final far, differing structures for the future have been suggested, with the five district and borough councils rejecting the county council's proposal for a single unitary authority. Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for local government reform Richard Rout said: "Modernising Suffolk's 50-year-old council structure is a significant piece of work that will require a large investment of time and money."We're very clear that a new single local council is the smartest, simplest and best option for the whole of Suffolk, which will deliver the biggest savings and most sustainable service improvements." But district and borough leaders said they were "united" against the proposal because one council would be "too large to work effectively and too remote for local residents to be heard".In a joint statement they said: "We are absolutely certain that a multiple-unitary model, with each new council delivering all services to different, recognisable parts of Suffolk, is vital to meet the differing needs of our diverse communities."That could involve the county being split in two or three, with potentially a greater Ipswich area created to cover the county's largest town. The government said it was providing £7.6 million to councils across the country and wanted them to agree on up to three authorities to receive an equal share of the funding in each area. McMahon said the funding would: "Contribute towards facilitating the development of a shared evidence base that will underpin the final proposals as well as contributing to the development of these."Despite the government asking for one proposal per county, this is understood not to be a fixed rule and multiple could be looked at. Councils were told they should aim for new authorities to cover a population of 500,000 or more but the government said it was "a guiding principle, not a strict target".Suffolk has a population of about 750,000. A combined authority would also be formed across Norfolk and Suffolk, which would be led by a directly elected mayor and manage services like transport and employment plans are due to be submitted to the government in September. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Mendlesham White Elm solar farm consultation opens
Plans for a large new solar farm have gone out to consultation among several communities.A 675-acre (273-hectare) plot of land around Mendlesham, near Stowmarket, has been earmarked for the major White Elm Suffolk County Council said it would object to the proposal if high quality farmland was Spanish firm Elmya Energy, which is expected to submit plans in 2026, said it would power more than 40,000 homes a year. Labour's Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will have the final say on the plans. A consultation began on Monday and is due to run until 30 White Elm site, which also surrounds Wickham Skeith and Thwaite, sits five miles (8km) south of another proposed solar farm in Yaxley."I'm sure the reaction of many Suffolk residents will be 'here we go again'," said Conservative councillor Richard warned the application would move "very quickly" and urged residents to voice their concerns."Do object and give clear reasons why, but also make constructive suggestions to amend and improve the plans in case it goes ahead," Rout added. In a statement, the county council said solar farms "should not remove Suffolk's best quality farmland" from food have also been raised about where a substation would be built for the development, which is expected to have a 40-year lifespan.A spokesman for Elmya Energy said it was in the early stages of shaping the solar said a storage system was being created to retain any excess energy for "when the sun isn't shining"."If approved, White Elm Solar Farm would generate enough clean electricity to power over 40,000 typical family homes every year during its 40-year operational lifespan," he added. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
District councils unite against one unitary authority
District council leaders have said they are "united" against the idea of having one unitary local council for Suffolk. Suffolk County Council has officially published its interim plans for local government reorganisation and has proposed a single unitary authority to replace the current county and district two-tier system. Richard Rout, from the Conservative-run county council said: "Independent analysis shows that the financial benefits of having just one council would be more than nine times greater than a two-council [unitary] model." The five Green and Labour district council leaders say one authority "would be too large to work effectively and too remote for local residents to be heard". The government announced in its Devolution White Paper in December it was shaking up local councils and devolving power to new mayors across the country. Councils would be scrapped and replaced by one, two or three authorities, which would provide all services, including social services and education. The current system in Suffolk where the county council provides the bulk of services including social services, education, roads and waste disposal. The county's five district councils (Babergh, East Suffolk, Ipswich, Mid Suffolk and West Suffolk) provide waste collection, planning and building services, and leisure facilities. Suffolk and Norfolk have been fast tracked for devolution, which means they are having to reorganise quickly. The government wants to see interim plans - on how to reorganise and bring devolution to the county - by 21 March. The government has said any unitary authority must, at a minimum, cover a population of 500,000. For Suffolk, with a population of about 800,000, this would mean it could not have more than one new unitary authority. A combined authority would also be formed across Norfolk and Suffolk which would be led by a directly elected mayor and manage services like transport and employment skills. A report by the report published by the County Council Network (CCN) last week said "replacing the two-tier system with a new wave of councils... could save at least £1.8bn over five years". It added those savings would reduce "dramatically if county and district authorities are replaced with multiple smaller councils – potentially costing local taxpayers hundreds of millions". Devolution for Suffolk - what is it? Rout, the county council's cabinet member for devolution, local government reform said: "This latest analysis shows splitting Suffolk into three will actually cost money, not save it. "It's clear that having a single council for Suffolk will free up more money to reinvest in frontline public services that benefit residents. "If truly sustainable and effective councils are to be created, then one council for Suffolk is the only viable option." The District Council Network (DCN) has said it was "sceptical" about the levels of savings claimed in the CCN report. The DCN's chairman Sam Chapman-Allen said: "There is no way that £1.8bn can be found by merging councils without ravaging the services local people most value to find savings." The leaders of Suffolk's five district councils argue that one unitary would be too big, and cite new DCN research which showed "there's absolutely no correlation between population size and the performance or financial stability of unitary councils". The Green leader of Babergh District Council Deborah Saw said: "The key to local government is in the word 'local'. "This is why we strongly believe two or three unitary councils will deliver the best for Suffolk's communities. "There is simply no evidence that bigger councils give you better services." Each council will be deciding on their interim plans and submitting them by the government's deadline of 21 March. The plans will be reviewed and negotiations amongst all councils will continue until final plans will be put forward in September. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Council calls for one-authority devolution deal Single unitary authority for Suffolk unpopular Devolution for Suffolk, What is it? Consultation opens on joint mayor for two counties Leaders united against single authority Suffolk County Council Devolution White Paper
BBC News
28-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
National Grid gets backing to move energy from Suffolk to Kent
National Grid will proceed with moving a major energy project away from Suffolk after it got backing from a previously said the Nautilus project should be built in the county, due to cost National Grid proposed to move the project, which would see a new subsea cable between the UK and Belgium, to its preferred location in the Isle of Grain in agreement from Ofgem and the independent National Energy System Operator (NESO), National Grid said it would press ahead with the move. Gareth Burden, construction director of National Grid Ventures, explained the Isle of Grain had "always been" its preference for Nautilus."Now that Ofgem has approved this location, we can release Nautilus' connection in Leiston," he said."We have no plans to build Nautilus in Suffolk or to use the connection agreement for an alternative project."According to National Grid, Nautilus could connect up to 1.7 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind to each country through a subsea cable.A final decision over whether it can be built will be made by the government and if approved, it could power 1.4 million UK homes. The decision to move Nautilus to Kent meant a convertor station planned close to Saxmundham will no longer be built. The development of large-scale energy infrastructure projects such as this requires developers to enter into a connection agreement with the agreement for Nautilus has been removed, the separate LionLink interconnector project was still on the table. LionLink would connect the energy grid in the UK to the Netherlands via subsea project would require a facility which local campaigners have raised concerns over. Richard Rout, cabinet member for devolution, local government reform and nationally significant infrastructure projects at Suffolk County Council, welcomed the he said communities were "desperately craving long-term clarity, certainty and co-ordination" over energy projects "rather than sporadic announcements such as this". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
19-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Preferred landfall site for Suffolk power cables revealed
National Grid has revealed where it wants to build energy infrastructure for cabling between the UK and the power line - called LionLink - would connect the two countries' electricity grids and an offshore windfarm. The energy company wants the cables to reach land at Walberswick, in Suffolk. A converter station, covering six hectares, would be built close to nearby Saxmundham, which would connect to a substation at the village of Grid said landfall at Walberswick would "minimise disruption", but a county councillor described it as "simply a bad decision". Ben Wilson, president of National Grid Ventures, which is behind the project, said: "After two rounds of community consultation and detailed technical and environmental assessments, we have selected Walberswick as our preferred landfall site for LionLink."He added: "We have carefully chosen Walberswick for its shorter cable route, which will minimise disruption and environmental impact." National Grid are behind a similar project, Sea Link, which would see energy cables linking the power grids in Suffolk and would come on shore between Aldeburgh and County Council have called for the two projects to share infrastructure. Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council's Cabinet Member for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, said: "The lack of coordination between National Grid's own projects - LionLink and Sea Link - is startling. "Landfall for LionLink at Walberswick is simply a bad decision."Rout, a Conservative councillor, added: "Given the close proximity of both the LionLink and Sea Link projects, coordination between them should be paramount, but National Grid's failure to do so means that we are now going to see irreversible damage to important landscapes in the county, and further suffering for more local people."A spokesperson for National Grid said: "The application for our Sea Link project has not yet been submitted."We have been consulting local communities in East Suffolk for the last three years, including local political representatives, all with the aim of identifying ways to keep disruption from construction to a minimum." National Grid Ventures said it would be holding "two community drop-ins and an online webinar for local people to find out more about the landfall decision and the next steps of the project".LionLink's statutory consultation is scheduled to start later in 2025, with a Development Consent Order expected to be submitted to the government in given the go ahead, the infrastructure could be in operation from 2032. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
