Borough backs single unitary council for county

Rugby councillors have called for a unitary authority to be based in the town

Rugby Borough Council has backed plans for one new county-wide unitary authority for Warwickshire and wants it to be located in the town.

Politicians from all three parties, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, agreed one authority would be best.

The move bucks the trend of Warwickshire's other four district and borough councils Warwick, Stratford-on-Avon, North Warwickshire and Nuneaton & Bedworth, which called for a north-south split.

All councils were told by the government to prepare to move to unitary status nearly a year ago. Warwickshire County Council (WCC) also wants a single unitary council.

Rugby councillors raised concern about WCC seeking continuing authority status during the interim period.

The county council described it as a practical step to aid a smooth transition.

Rugby's cabinet will decide on the final submission on Wednesday.

'A new start'

Rugby's Labour leader Michael Moran said a single unitary council was best for long-term financial sustainability and the clearest structure for protecting essential services.

He said it was "not about simply adopting the Warwickshire County Council proposal", adding a new culture and structure was needed.

"There is an opportunity to push for a Rugby model in which we see a brand new single council with a base spread across the county," he said.

Liberal Democrat councillor Isabelle McKenzie, said: "Do we want Warwickshire to be the continuing authority and the rest have to just join in with them? I'm not keen."

Calling for a "new start", she said: "It actually makes sense to move functions to Rugby because we are in the centre."

Last month, WCC decided they should form a new "super council" and become part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Conservative councillor Ian Picker said a single unitary council that was part of the WMCA made "logical and practical sense".

He said: "If you did want to prove that this will be a new authority and a new way of doing things, yeah, stick it in Rugby."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.