District Matters

Vote to create South Warwickshire District Council

December 2021

There can only be one major item for this Leader's Column. That is the historic vote on Monday in favour of merging with Warwick District Council to create a South Warwickshire District Council.

The next stage is for a submission to be made to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities seeking agreement to this change. Assuming this consent is granted, this will eventually bring to an end Stratford-on-Avon District Council after almost 50 years, I think it is reasonable to call it ‘historic'.

What was refreshing about the vote was that it had cross party support with twenty six councillors voting in favour with only three opposed and two abstentions. The vote was taken in what we all believe to be in the best interests of all the residents of South Warwickshire. It would be fair to say that many Councillors had understandable reservations. Nevertheless, they recognised that the balance of advantage lay with supporting the merger.

This decision is an appropriate strategic response to the challenges we face as a Council. Residents will be aware of the challenges we face because I have outlined them in this column a number of times. Indeed, as Covid-19 is not going away, these challenges may well intensify. I should stress that the merger is not a ‘magic bullet' solution for everything.

The intended merger is not just about financial issues; there are some real opportunities to be gained from it. The new South Warwickshire District Council will have almost 300,000 residents. It will be one of the biggest district councils in the country, larger than many current unitary councils. The experience elsewhere has been that this will provide a platform for a much stronger voice and for greater influence in important bodies. In our case, the obvious ones are the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and the West Midlands Combined Authority and there will be a number of others. The intended merger will also give us a stronger voice and influence with Central Government. These may appear intangible benefits to many residents, but they really do matter and they can make a real difference on major issues.

One very tangible benefit will be that the new Council will inherit a Housing Revenue Account. This means that we can build houses on our own account. This should help increase the supply of affordable housing that is much needed.

It has taken a lot of work and negotiation to reach this stage. It has put additional demands, not only on myself, but also on all members of Cabinet and the senior management team. The alignment of us all behind this being the best solution to the challenges facing us does, I think, speak volumes.

Unfortunately for us the hard work is far from over. We will now have to tackle the detailed work that will be needed to ensure that we achieve the resolution we would prefer to some of the outstanding issues. The number of Councillors for the new District is probably the most contentious. This is not something that is ours to decide. It will be decided on by discussion and negotiation with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. A strong level of cross party support will be helpful in this process.

So, we are at the beginning of a new era, one that we approach with optimism. Whilst we are excited by the future potential, routine work has to continue. The main challenge at the moment is putting together the budget for 2022/23 and Medium Term Financial Plan. The first draft of this will be completed before Christmas.

All of us, all those Councillors and officers who have been heavily involved in the merger process so far, are looking forward to a well-earned break so that refreshed we can hit the ground running and deal with all the challenges the New Year will inevitably bring.

All that remains, is for me to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I hope you all stay safe over the festive season.