With six months to go until Cheshire's seven councils are merged into two new unitary councils, John Healey met the teams responsible for turning the area's vision for unitary councils into a reality, and discussed progress. He also discussed the changes with key stakeholders in health, education and police, along with representatives from the local business sector that will benefit from these changes.
Local people will also benefit from the new unitaries through more coordinated, improved local services, less red tape and a single local point of reference for the services they receive. The changes will also empower local communities, with a greater role for parish councils, and create the strong local leadership necessary to promote economic prosperity in the county.
There are savings to be gained too - meaning better value for money for taxpayers. The new set up is expected to make estimated annual savings of over £16m for Cheshire's communities - savings which could be reinvested to improve public services, or reduce local council tax.
Local Government Minister, John Healey said:
"Cheshire is showing how local government can be better, closer to the people it serves, and can deliver better local services. The benefits are clear - better use of taxpayers' money, better local services and stronger local leadership to deliver the economic development that is so needed today across Cheshire. That's why we gave the go-ahead to these local proposals for change.
"This is by no means a 24 hour makeover. This is one of the biggest shake-ups of local government since the early 1990s, with 44 local councils being reduced to nine nationally, and is a once in a generation chance to change the future of the county for the better.
''A smooth transition to the new council is the priority for those leading the changes. This demands that all in Cheshire local government now embrace a new unitary culture moving away from the old county-district mindset. I've promised Government will provide all the support we can to help make Cheshire's new local government arrangements a success."
