2 weeks Ago
A Freedom of Information request submitted by the District Councils’ Network revealed that the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government had undertaken no post-implementation assessment of the actual upfront costs. The impact of population size and geography for unitary council was also never commissioned. At the time, the merger of the former Somerset County Council and four district councils was intended to save £18.
5 million a year. Fast forward to 2025, and the local authority faces raising Council Tax by 7.5 per cent , which will still not be enough to plug a funding gap of £66 million.
The Conservative-led County Council proposed the single unitary authority, which was approved by in 2021 by the then Local Government Secretary, Robert Jenrick. It was a decision which prompted much opposition at the time, with a statement issued by Mendip, South Somerset, Sedgemoor and Somerset West and Taunton district councils stating: "By ignoring the will of the people, the Secretary of State is breaking the bond of trust between elected representatives and those they represent." Cllr Bill Revans, Liberal Democrat Leader of Somerset Council, said: “Somerset Council has faced a financial emergency because of the dramatically rising costs of and demand for social care for the elderly, adults with learning disabilities, children with special educational needs and disabilities, families who are experiencing difficulties, children whose parents cannot look after them and homelessness.
” “This has been a massive issue facing councils all over the country but has been a particular issue in Somerset because of the previous Conservative run Somerset County Council freezing its share of Council Tax for six years. This has put the new Somerset Council in a precarious position as it tries to take care of those most in need, while providing opportunities for all.” Cllr David Fothergill, the former Conservative Leader of Somerset County Council who oversaw the unitarisation process, said: “The government's position that two tier areas are no longer affordable, and that unitary councils will be encouraged has once again raised many concerns amongst district councillors and their representatives at the DCN.
“Somerset went through this unitarisation process a number of years ago when the government determined that a population in excess of 500,000 was necessary to be able adequately fund both Adults and Children’s Social care.” “Personally, I still believe this figure to be necessary as there are examples of much smaller Unitary Councillors set up in the ‘90s which continue to struggle to adequately fund their social care responsibilities.” As the increase in Council Tax to 7.
5% will not raise enough money to fill the current £66 million funding gap, Somerset Council will again be reliant on a Capitalisation Direction. This is a form of one-off assistance offered last year which allows councils to sell assets or borrow money and use the proceeds to fund the budget gap and the day-to-day running costs. The MHCLG has been approached for comment.
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