Job cut fears with new Ridgeway Council plans
Councils are getting twitchy about the impending local government review and the impact on staffing.
West Berkshire is in the triumvirate of three councils which could merge in 2027 into the proposed Ridgeway Council.
The council’s scrutiny committee heard that it was confirmed that financial devolution would be directed to the strategic authority, should the Government accept the plan, joining South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse with West Berkshire.
There could also be a mayoral precept for the strategic authority.
It was noted that there would be a fundamental review of local government finance later this year.
While there had been some discussion about tax increment financing, and some councils had started to look at tourism taxes, significant financial devolution at local authority level was not being discussed.
That said, elected members expressed concerns about potential impacts on staff, including possible redundancies and relocation.
West Berkshire Council employs around 1,500 staff, not including those based in schools, and currently has three main offices in Newbury, as well as smaller satellite offices across the district.
Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire have around 450 people, some of whom are based at offices in Abingdon. So West Berkshire is the biggest authority of the three.
It was stressed that while there would be some economies of scale, it was too early to say how services would be shared across the three local authorities, but it was considered that it would be ‘business as usual’ beyond senior managers.
No conversations have so far been had about the location of future offices.
They conceded that there was an advantage in West Berkshire Council ‘getting ahead of the rest of Berkshire’ in the local government reorganisation process.
This would be helpful in attracting and retaining staff, as well as providing increased certainty to support future planning and delivery of services.
It was suggested that town and parish councils should be engaged and encouraged to think about their future roles.
It was felt that there would be opportunities, but more direction was required from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), to encourage parishes to step up and to support them with appropriate finance.
A consultation programme has been launched in West Berkshire for residents wanting face-to-face conversations. The whole subject comes up as the main agenda point for the Community Forum on July 15.
There was also discussion at the scrutiny committee about Local Plans and housing targets.
West Berkshire has only just signed its off, with the knowledge that the review could mean it all gets put back through the wash.
It was confirmed that work was under way to look at this, and this would continue over the summer, with similar work being undertaken for other plans and policies.
Councillors are aware their numbers will also reduce.
What this is likely to mean is that after the first term of any new council, there will be another vote, with ward boundaries redrawn to reduce the number of councillors sitting on the new unitary authority.
Its not at all clear yet, but West Berkshire council leader Jeff Brooks says: “Until a boundary review takes place which would cut the number of councillors down to 60/70 we would simply run with what we have.”
That is 43 councillors in West Berks, 36 in South Oxfordshire and 38 in the Vale of White Horse.
It is also noteworthy that each of the three councils in Ridgeway are Lib Dem run.
So no doubt political jiggery pokery is at play, along with the rhetoric that this will ‘be the best solution for the people of West Berkshire’.
In 2011 the three main parties held some 92.4 per cent of all English councils seats; as a result of the 2021 local elections the three main national parties hold 86.5 per cent of English council seats.
There are, of course, fewer seats available on English councils than 10 years ago.
The last 10 years has also seen an increase in the number of independents and smaller parties that are in ruling coalitions in local government.
West Berkshire independent Adrian Abbs agrees it might be harder to get elected.
“I don’t think it changes once elected,” he said. “I suspect it means we will see other groupings like residents’ associations come forward.
“The loss will be in local knowledge and expertise. More just colour not competency.
“That’s what voting for a party gets you in the end. Some cream at the top but then many who care and are good people, but who can’t absorb the workload, and end up following party lines.”
In a White Paper published in December, the Government said it wants to bring an end to two-tier council arrangements like in Oxfordshire.
This is where district councils provide services like recycling and waste collection, planning, housing need and environmental protection; and the county council provides social care, transport, education, fire and rescue, libraries and more.
The Government’s plans would mean all of these services would be provided by a single council, known as a ‘unitary’, which West Berkshire already is, but with not enough people.
The Government wants authorities to represent at least 500,000 residents.
As yet, no one seems to have worked out if amalgamations of councils and the creation of larger units is guaranteed to deliver economies of scale.
The full costs of reorganisation are rarely set against the savings predicted to arise.
Such costs may have long-term implications for the new council which is being created largely to ‘save money’.