Secretary of State to implement merger of two South West councils

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has decided to implement, subject to Parliamentary approval, the proposed merger of two councils in the South West of England.

Sajid Javid had said in November last year that he was “minded to” back the combination of West Somerset District Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council.

In a written ministerial statement Javid said he had made his final decision after considering all representations he had received and all relevant information.

The Secretary of State said: “I am satisfied that…. the new district council is likely to improve local government and service delivery in the area, commands a good deal of local support, and that the new council area is a credible geography.”

Javid said he now intended to prepare and lay before Parliament drafts of the necessary secondary legislation to give effect to his decision.

“My intention is that if Parliament approves this legislation the new council will be established on 1 April 2019 with the first election to the council held on 2 May 2019,” he said.

The new council will be called Somerset West and Taunton District Council and will have 58 councillors, subject to review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. A Cabinet model will be adopted with an Executive of up to 10 members.

Taunton Deane and West Somerset Councils have been partners since 2013 and have a single team of staff.

The councils voted just before Javid’s statement to give their consent to the start of the legal process. The vote at Taunton Deane was close with 26 for, 22 against and 3 abstentions. Backers of the merger believe it will save £3.1m a year.

The Leaders of the two councils said: “We welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement that he is approving the proposal for a single new council.  This has been an understandably long process and the final decision gives us the ability to look forward with far more clarity, and unity.”

In December 2016 a High Court judge refused on the papers to give a group of opposition councillors permission to bring a judicial review challenge over a decision to merge the two local authorities.

Fifteen councillors at Taunton Deane had claimed that the local authority had exceeded its powers and failed to consult over the proposed combination.