Writing in this week's (April 2nd) Bromsgrove Advertiser, Bradley said:
“Council reorganisation may not feel the most pressing issue facing our country, but how it is implemented is important and defines how much you spend on council tax, and the quality of local services.
In December, the Government announced they want to abolish district councils, and the county council, and form a new so-called unitary authority. Essentially, we’ll have one layer of local government rather than the two we have now.
The unitary council will provide all council services. This should streamline services, reduce waste and duplication and ultimately save council taxpayers’ money.
However, what shape the new unitary authority takes has yet to be decided. There are some who want to split Worcestershire in two with a north and south unitary authority. This will not fly with Government which has said that their parameters are clear: that local government will be restructured and that any new councils are to have a minimum population of 500k, anything less will not be considered. Note that Worcestershire has a population of just over 600,000.
But this isn’t the main reason why I’m totally against splitting our county in two. One Worcestershire council is the best outcome for you, the council taxpayer and would protect our green and rural spaces against Labour’s assault on Bromsgrove’s greenbelt.
Having served as leader of Wychavon District Council in south Worcestershire, one of the most successful in the country with the 3rd lowest council tax in the country, I don’t see the point in abolishing district councils to then form two unitary authorities and duplicate services at greater cost to the taxpayer.
This would be a false economy whilst potentially making some complex services including SEND even more challenging to access due to multiple authorities covering the Worcestershire area.
A report by Price Waterhouse Coopers found a single unitary authority for Worcestershire will save over £20 million in year one, whereas two unitaries will save just over £4 million over 11 years.
There are some in other political parties who want closer ties with bankrupt Birmingham City Council where the rubbish is piling up on streets due to the ongoing bin workers strike, and council tax is increasing by 21%. Bromsgrove taxpayers deserve better than to subsidise bankrupt Birmingham city council.
As this restructuring will see new councils form the building blocks of a long-term strategic authority with mayoral powers over it, we need to be mindful of the implications of this.
With our district being 89% greenbelt, the prospect of house building across the district, and across our greenbelt could massively increase if our area became part of any council that has an affinity with West Midlands Combined Authority or Birmingham.
Worcestershire has a distinct identity, and it would be a travesty to see our historic county split in two. I’ll be fighting to keep our county together as One Worcestershire, delivering excellent services, at excellent value.”
