Furious attack on ‘split county’ plan

Nov 10 2007 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

A SENIOR Labour politician has launched a blistering attack on government plans to create two local authorities to administer Cheshire.

Cheshire MP Gwyneth Dunwoody used the debate on the Queen’s Speech in Parliament to slam proposals to create councils for the east and west of the county.

The MP for Crewe and Nantwich insisted “the financial case for a single Cheshire unitary authority is proven”.

But a statement by Cllr Justin Madders, leader of Ellesmere Port and Neston Council, last night called for a “truce” over the proposals, which his authority supports.

Earlier this year, the Government indicated it would back plans for combining all of Cheshire’s council services into two authorities – Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester.

But this has been condemned by county leaders, who say it would cost council taxpayers a total of £103m extra in just five years, and who want a single authority covering the entire county.

Mrs Dunwoody, an MP since 1974 and the chairwoman of the transport select committee since 1997, said: “I assumed that once the Government had looked at the economics they would not argue the case any further.

“Splitting Cheshire into two unitary authorities would cost more than £100m, and the new authorities would run out of reserves in their first year of operation.

“Many of the things that are essential to me, such as planning the new education and transport services, would rely on two authorities that might be – perhaps inevitably would be – under different forms of political control.”

The Government’s Cheshire proposals envisage the merger of the Congleton, Crewe & Nantwich and Macclesfield boroughs to create East Cheshire council, with Chester, Vale Royal and Ellesmere Port & Neston put together to make up the West Cheshire authority.

It is expected the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears, will confirm in early December more details about the changes.

Cllr Madders said: “The county council has been fighting the Secretary of State’s preference for a two unitary council solution in Cheshire and is not yet facing up to that prospect, as their continuing attempts to undermine the proposal show.”

His authority says the financial case for the creation of two new unitary authorities is “indisputable” and estimates overall savings of £30m a year and payback of the set-up costs from existing council reserves within two and a half years.

Cllr Madders said: “Two new unitary authorities for Cheshire will provide real and tangible benefits for Cheshire residents – the potential is enormous so long as all Cheshire authorities work together in a positive and co-operative manner.”