Council backs plans to become unitary authority

The seven existing councils could be abolished and replaced with new unitary authorities
- Published
A proposal to create a unitary authority could bring decision-making closer to local communities, said a council leader.
Cambridge City Council passed a motion to back the creation of a Greater Cambridge unitary council under the local government reorganisation process.
In Cambridgeshire, the changes could see the existing seven councils abolished and replaced with new unitary authorities.
Cameron Holloway, the city council's Labour leader, said it would take "time and money," but it was a "pragmatic and positive step" in the long term.
The vote followed the government's plans to change council structures across the country.
Some services are delivered by Cambridgeshire County Council, such as road maintenance, and others are delivered by district and city councils, such as housing.
Peterborough City Council is already a unitary council, but is still included in the reorganisation plans.
Councils in the area were asked to submit proposals for a new council structure by 28 November, after which the government will decide on their future structure.
Three potential options for local government reorganisation were announced last month.
The options included merging councils in a north-west and south-east grouping, a north and south grouping or east and west grouping.
Holloway proposed a motion at a full council meeting on 24 July, external for city councillors to back a unitary council including Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.
He said this appeared to be the best option for the city, but that further work will still need to be done on the proposals, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Naomi Bennett, a Green Party councillor on Cambridge City Council, said she was "neither for nor against reorganisation" and said for her "the devil is in the detail".
She questioned if the reorganisation would save the amount of money central government hoped it would.
She claimed other areas that had already gone through the process found "services have been reduced because those savings have not been made, or have not been made for a very long period".
Bennett also felt it was "premature" to state a preferred option at this stage, as she did not feel they had enough information to set out the impact on services.
A majority of councillors agreed to pass the motion backing a unitary council including Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.
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