Plans for local government overhaul in Northamptonshire revealed

Documents say there is "overwhelming" public support for a move to a unitary system

Plans for a "radical" shake-up of local government in a cash-strapped county have been revealed.

Under the proposed restructure in Northamptonshire, eight existing authorities would be replaced by two new councils.

A government report called for a "new start" and said crisis-hit Northamptonshire County Council should be scrapped amid a £70m cash shortfall.

Documents say there is support for the move but warn it is not a "panacea".

Under the plans published earlier, one council would run all services in Daventry, Northampton and South Northamptonshire, with a second covering the rest of the county.

Secretary of State for local government James Brokenshire ordered the existing councils to put together a bid for two unitary authorities earlier this year.

A new report says the proposal is being made "not out of a positive ambition for this radical structural change, but instead out of a pragmatic and responsible approach to the government's clearly-signalled direction of travel".

At a meeting earlier this month the county council backed a drastic action plan to reduce spending amid crippling financial circumstances.

Children's services, road maintenance and waste management are among the areas facing cuts, although bosses have vowed to protect vulnerable children and adults.

A public consultation found there was "widespread public support" for restructuring local government in Northamptonshire

Analysis by Tom Barton, BBC political correspondent

A government report, published in March, said the problems in Northamptonshire were "so deep and ingrained" the only option was a "clean sheet, leaving all the history behind".

It proposed the county and district councils be abolished and replaced with two new authorities.

That recommendation has now received the backing of the organisations that will be shut down as a consequence.

But they have warned simply changing structures will not be sufficient to fix the financial problems in the county.

Without extra government funding they say the new unitary councils will inherit "existing financial instability".

The unitary bid was put out to public consultation, with 6,000 responses, and found there was "widespread public support" for the overhaul, but "various degrees of support" for the two-unitary proposal.

The results of an open questionnaire showed support in what will be the north unitary, but opposition in the west.

The report states: "In drawing together our proposal to the Secretary of State, it has become obvious that, whilst local government reorganisation can achieve a level of cost savings, it will not, in itself, lead to the creation of two new sustainable unitary local authorities.

"Indeed, it potentially risks only redistributing the existing financial instability of Northamptonshire County Council across two new organisations, unless steps are taken to address the existing cost and income challenges."

All of the separate councils will vote on the plans at meetings later this month. A bid is due to be submitted to central government on 31 August.

Commissioners were sent in to oversee the county council in April after the authority revealed a projected overspend of £21m for 2017-18.

It has been forced to issue two spending control orders to stave off a projected budget shortfall of £60m-£70m this financial year.

What councillors say

Ian McCord, Conservative leader of South Northamptonshire Council:

"We bring these [proposals] forward with a very heavy heart and a lot of regret.

"I was beyond angry by the way Northamptonshire [County Council] has melted down financially. Nonetheless this [proposal] is a very pragmatic and sensible response to the government invitation.

"I am still minded to bring that [the proposal] to my council and make the next step, and yes we are turkeys voting for Christmas."

Tom Beattie, Labour leader of Corby Borough Council:

"If you look at the document it refers to the fact that the councils involved have not entered into this with any great enthusiasm.

"We have been forced into a situation that wasn't of our [Corby Borough Council's] making.

"As a result of that we find ourselves forced into a position of coming up with a solution that means abolishing our own councils."

Chris Stanbra, Liberal Democrat county councillor:

"We are going to get two unitaries (councils). It's not something that anyone [in local government] wanted to go into willingly.

"I don't know if it can work. The issue is that there are huge financial issues at the county council.

"If the government doesn't deal with it, then it may not work. We may be setting it up to fail."

What would change?

Northamptonshire County Council met earlier this month to discuss cuts to services

The current structure of local government in Northamptonshire is known as a two-tier structure.

Under the system, a county council provides the majority of public services for a given area, with responsibility for education, highways, social care and libraries.

In two-tier areas, each county council area is subdivided into districts, for which there is an independent district council - sometimes known as borough or city councils.

These look after local services like rubbish collection, housing and planning applications.

Unitary authorities have only one tier of local government, meaning one council is responsible for all aspects of the services provided.