The vision for East locally accountable, strategically powerful - the case for a new East Suffolk Unitary Council

A joint concept developed by Suffolk Coastal District Council and Waveney District Council submitted to the Boundary Committee on April 11, 2008 The vision for East Suffolk

1 Leaders’ Foreword

East Suffolk is a unique part of the eastern region. It has been shaped by centuries of community development. As a gateway to the world with its two ports, it is a place that guarantees a warm and friendly welcome, and is a home for residents who give it high ratings for service satisfaction. It is a place renowned for its tranquil, unspoilt countryside and coastline, for an exceptional quality of life, and for world-beating innovative industries.

Sense of place

1.1 People want to live in and visit East Suffolk. There are some of the highest national levels of satisfaction among the area’s residents and we plan to maintain and increase those levels. They are attracted to the unspoilt countryside and coastline in East Suffolk, as well as the low levels of crime and the quality of life. There are good levels of satisfaction amongst those that live in the area.

1.2 East Suffolk attracts dynamic and innovative individuals and cutting edge business into the area. Technology industries cluster in the south, around Martlesham, while energy (particularly renewables) industries are expanding and developing further north along the coast at Sizewell and . Creative and cultural businesses and events are found throughout the area. In addition traditional industries such as farming remain pivotal to the economy of East Suffolk.

1.3 East Suffolk has a maritime and rural heritage which is continually developing and evolving. Lowestoft and are bustling and vibrant resorts looking to the future with key regeneration plans; the seaside towns of and are renowned for their traditional charm. Coastal management is a major focus for the area, as is the major expansion of the UK’s largest container port at Felixstowe. Moving inland, the area is held together by a network of market towns and villages.

Challenges

1.4 Despite the undeniable charm and attraction of East Suffolk it faces significant challenges in the future including: • Minimising the impact of climate change, not least on coastal areas • Stewardship of our Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty • Enhancing economic competitiveness

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• Delivering regeneration of coastal towns, and sustainability of Market Towns • Protecting our traditional industries, including agriculture and associated industries • Responding to the growth agenda • Increasing the amount of affordable housing for local people • Combating rural isolation • Improving the transport infrastructure • Responding to changing demographic issues • Promoting community cohesion and engagement

Our vision: Locally accountable; strategically powerful

1.5 In order to meet these challenges and retain the quality of life for the community of East Suffolk we require a structure of local government that meets the aspirations of this distinctive part of Suffolk.

1.6 The Council’s Leader and Cabinet will be powerful enough to have real influence at a regional and national level. The roles of Councillors will be enhanced to ensure that they provide a clear link between the Council, its strategic partners, and communities. They will be community advocates to ensure the sustained provision of high quality services, which have been identified and developed locally.

1.7 The unitary authority will be small enough to listen to local needs and to address these efficiently and effectively. It will work closely with approximately 230 Town and Parish Councils using flexible mechanisms to engage with all communities in the manner that best suits their needs. In order to ensure challenges are met and services are responsive to local needs, the authority will work with and integrate as appropriate with the Police, Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and other key partners. This will ensure that all views are being heard and all parts of the community are being served.

1.8 Community committees will be created to give greater neighbourhood empowerment on local issues and service delivery. We will put in place an officer structure to support Ward Councillors to ensure that local priorities are identified and taken into account. The authority will be responsive and flexible due to this ‘short chain’ between its residents and service provision.

1.9 A unitary East Suffolk Council will be business-like in its approach, ensuring that services are provided in the most efficient and effective manner to deliver optimal

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value for money. The Council will be innovative in the manner it delivers its services, using the best of both public and private sector provision. This will build on the real experience gained in recent years of successful partnerships with both public and private sectors that have helped deliver better services and even better value for money.

1.10 Suffolk Coastal District Council (with cross party support) and the administration of Waveney District Council support this concept for an East Suffolk, alongside a and unitary structure. We believe the concept for an East Suffolk unitary council can provide a strong strategic vision for the area and is large enough to influence and deliver against national, regional and most importantly local priorities.

1.11 This concept for unitary local government is designed to meet not just the needs and aspirations of our own residents but also those of West Suffolk and Ipswich. Each is a distinctive area with its own character, culture and challenges. Separate unitary councils that know and understand their communities’ needs will be ideally positioned to focus resources on meeting them. The concept for unitary solutions in East Suffolk, West Suffolk and Ipswich is shared by the Leaders of Ipswich Borough Council, St Edmundsbury District Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council and Waveney District Council (full statement in Appendix 1).

Councillor Ray Herring Councillor Mark Bee

Leader, Suffolk Coastal District Council Leader of the majority Conservative group, Waveney District Council

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2 Contents

Page

Leaders’ Foreword 2

Proposal 6

Sense of place 8

East Suffolk – priorities 11

Strategic leadership 14

Neighbourhood empowerment 19

Affordability and value for money 22

Broad cross section of support 26

Appendices 1 – Joint statement 27 2 – Other proposals considered 28 3 – Map 30 4 – Member governance model 31 5 – Community empowerment 32 and engagement

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3 Proposal

3.1 In response to the current Local Government Review within and Suffolk, we propose that the best interests of the people of Suffolk would be served by creating three new unitary authorities for Suffolk - East Suffolk, West Suffolk and Ipswich.

3.2 We believe each of these three areas has a distinct identity and faces specific challenges and issues both now and in the future:

a) West Suffolk has a close affinity with Cambridge.

b) Ipswich has more in common with Leeds, Birmingham, and Sunderland than neighbouring areas. It is by far the largest urban area in the county, the fastest growing urban centre in the East of and one of the 40 largest settlements in England. The population will exceed 150,000 by 2021 (based on existing boundaries). Targets are to build an additional 20,000 homes to be built by 2020. It is very different to the rest of Suffolk.

c) East Suffolk has a range of communities, each with unique characteristics, but all share interests and concerns as well as a local identity.

3.3 We do not support a “Yartoft” concept, nor the concept of a unitary Suffolk, for reasons set out in Appendix 2.

3.4 This tri-unitary approach in Suffolk is consistent with the spirit of localism, community engagement and neighbourhood empowerment, and delivers all the requirements for unitary Local Government, as set out in the Department for Communities and Local Government’s five criteria. Each of these new unitary authorities will meet local needs, whilst having sufficient influence to drive forward strategic interests, and to engage on a regional and national level on issues that affect quality of life within our communities. The proposal develops the key principle of being “closer to communities” endorsing the priority and thrust of the Local Government White Paper (2006). The sizes and geographical boundaries of the three proposed Unitary Councils will ensure that they are both locally accountable and strategically powerful.

3.5 In recommending these unitary structures we have considered the following key factors: a) Designing a structure that is sustainable and suitable for the long-term delivery of efficient locally provided and run services. b) Having sufficient scale to respond to current and future challenges.

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c) Delivering economy, efficiency and effectiveness. d) Recognising that there are economies, and diseconomies of scale. e) Being large enough to be economic and efficient, yet small enough to relate to and work with local communities, and thereby deliver strategic leadership. f) Enabling decision-making for local people by local people. g) Being committed to working with other local authorities, such as commissioning and delivery of shared services. h) Being big enough to work effectively at the regional and national level. i) Being able to work effectively with business and the private sector, both locally and nationally. j) Being able to communicate and work effectively with communities, partners, and other agencies.

3.6 This proposal does not at this stage attempt to draw the precise boundaries for East Suffolk; we recognise that the final boundary will be determined through consultation with local communities and stakeholders. A broad indication is provided at Appendix 3.

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4 Sense of place

People

4.1 People make places. East Suffolk has been shaped by centuries of habitation, and continues to grow and develop to meet the needs of its communities – residents and visitors. Communities spread across East Suffolk have strong, particular identities. They may have differing local priorities, yet they share many common values that reflect the local quality of life.

4.2 Residents of East Suffolk are generally highly satisfied with their quality of life. However, they share concerns about activities for teenagers, affordable housing and transport. Surveys show that fear of crime is a significant issue. Although solutions may differ depending on how rural or how urban a location is, the same needs will be addressed across the authority.

4.3 The area has a mainly white British population, although there are also small Lithuanian, Polish and Portuguese communities. These communities are often based in local urban areas. They possess a range of skills and talents, and have their own specific issues. We will continue to work with existing communities, as well as isolated individuals, and new arrivals, to develop and improve community cohesion.

4.4 The area includes the fast growing town of Kesgrave, and the parishes of Martlesham and Rushmere St. Andrew in the south west, near Ipswich. Many people have moved from larger urban centres to these modern communities for their proximity to green space and market towns. Being a predominantly new community in the area, Kesgrave has a clear identity and considers itself as a strong separate entity, albeit with good links to service centres at Martlesham, Woodbridge and Felixstowe for retail, work and leisure.

4.5 Demographic change presents a particular challenge. Young people migrate out of the area, moving towards education and employment opportunities. Older people are attracted to the area because of its tranquillity, quality of life and low crime rates. There is a significantly larger percentage of older people in the area than across the rest of Suffolk.

4.6 There are particular concerns about levels of educational attainment, and a need to address low skill levels in the area.

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4.7 House prices and communities are impacted by people retiring here and by second home ownership. Second home ownership is mainly located along Suffolk’s east coast, although levels are significant throughout the East Suffolk unitary area. This is not such an issue in the West Suffolk unitary area.

4.8 Significant housing growth is expected in urban areas by 2021 with approximately 3,500 homes required in the Lowestoft area, 1,700 in Felixstowe, and 1,000 around Rushmere St Andrew, Kesgrave and Martlesham. A high percentage of these new homes have to be affordable. Providing access to the housing market for young local people is a key issue.

4.9 Significant levels of deprivation are clearly identified in the main urban areas of Lowestoft and Felixstowe. However, there are also significant levels of rural deprivation throughout East Suffolk.

4.10 A challenge for health and social care services is to narrow the health gap between different communities within East Suffolk, while continuing to improve health and well-being throughout the population. For example, there is a 10 year difference between lowest and highest life expectancy for residents in different wards in the East Suffolk unitary area. Teenage pregnancy rates in the north of East Suffolk are significantly higher than those for England as a whole. Parts of East Suffolk have a higher than (regional) average proportion of the population smoking, while exercise levels are low.

Places

4.11 Most of the Suffolk coast and estuary area is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, containing areas of Special Scientific Interest and internationally designated sites. The area comprises the High Suffolk Claylands and Suffolk Coast and Heaths. Management of the countryside is a prime focus for the area, as is ensuring that new development can be accommodated without detriment to the local environment. Historic locations add to the sense of place, and are an attraction for visitors.

4.12 Management of the countryside will also be affected by changing weather patterns. The coastline is very prone to erosion, and our estuaries and rivers are prone to flooding. The management of the Lowestoft to Felixstowe coastline, estuaries from the Stour to the Alde & Ore and the Blyth, and rivers across the area is therefore critical to the long term future of local communities, in terms of residents, agriculture,

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the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, areas of Special Scientific Interest and wildlife areas.

4.13 Our seaside towns of Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Aldeburgh and Southwold are nationally renowned as visitor destinations and are also major service locations for their local areas. These resorts are proud of their status and share ambitions to ensure that they remain attractive and provide good quality of life to residents and visitors.

4.14 Market towns are critical for the delivery of services to local communities, serving as community hubs for the surrounding rural areas and villages. Lowestoft and Felixstowe are urban centres for nearby towns and villages.

4.15 Smaller, more isolated villages and rural areas are renowned for being picturesque and add to the uniqueness of the area. However, there are issues relating to their sustainability and accessibility of services, from both the public and private sectors.

Industry and business

4.16 Approximately 70% of the population of East Suffolk live and work within the area. Felixstowe, Lowestoft and Martlesham are key employment locations for their surrounding areas, and have been highlighted as areas for investment. Each expects to see significant business growth and investment over the next fifteen years. Key industries in these areas are manufacturing, transportation and technology. There will be over 11,000 small businesses in East Suffolk, much higher than the other two proposed unitary areas.

4.17 The Port at Felixstowe is the UK’s largest container port and will increase significantly in size over the next 15 years. This will see further growth in the maritime, transportation and logistic and associated industries.

4.18 East Suffolk is a hub for innovative and cutting edge industries with significant further expansion planned for the future: a) BT has the largest centre of ICT research in Europe at Martlesham, with supporting technology and knowledge-based businesses on the surrounding innovation park. b) Orbis Energy will be a worldwide centre of excellence for offshore renewable energy – wind, wave and tidal technologies. A centre of academic expertise will support new and existing businesses and small to medium sized enterprises. c) There may be continued development of nuclear power technology at Sizewell. d) Energy management will be a key sector at Martlesham Innovation Park.

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4.19 East Suffolk is renowned for its creative industry. The Arts are estimated to provide almost 10% of local GDP. Our cultural heritage covers classical (from Britten’s legacy at Snape to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Lowestoft) and modern music (Eastern Haze and Latitude Festivals), the visual arts (the network of galleries and artists, public works such as Maggi Hambling’s scallop shell in Aldeburgh, Constable’s defining paintings of the Stour), and crafts. The Arts continue to make a powerful, dynamic contribution to East Suffolk, through individuals (the Arts Website and Arts Directory, Open Studios), through projects (Amplifier, the rural hub initiative, Suffolk Digital cinema network), and events such as EastFeast, and country fairs.

Connections

4.20 There is a high dependency on the road network across the area. The A12, A14 and A146 are the primary highway routes into and through East Suffolk from London, Ipswich, Norwich and Great Yarmouth. East Suffolk is bisected by the East Suffolk railway line, which runs from Ipswich through Woodbridge, Melton, Wickham Market, , and to Lowestoft. Lowestoft is also the terminus of the Wherry line running from Norwich.

4.21 Our easternmost location means we look across the sea to mainland Europe as well as inland to the rest of the UK. Authorities within the proposed East Suffolk unitary area, Norfolk authorities, Holland and Belgium are involved in the EU maritime “two seas” cross-border programme. These seek to address quality of life and quality of place.

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5 East Suffolk – priorities

5.1 Existing authorities and their partners have already considered the priorities and issues for the area. The key issues are outlined below.

Quality of life

5.2 Access to services is a significant concern for local communities and residents. Traditionally this has been addressed through public transport, but East Suffolk Council would take a broader view, through approaches such as the role of responsive community transport (e.g. “on demand”) and the voluntary sector, as well as promoting mobile service delivery and effective use of technology.

5.3 East Suffolk Council services would work in partnership with the PCTs to ensure coordinated delivery to vulnerable groups, particularly bearing in mind the significantly high numbers of elderly people in the area. User groups would be involved in planning so that services are delivered in ways and locations that meet their needs. Through the council’s work with Town and Parish councils and through neighbourhood engagement, we would ensure these vulnerable groups were supported within their wider community. We would also work with care deliverers to ensure high standards of person-centred care.

5.4 Close working with the police will continue to provide assurance and security. This will combat perception of the threat of crime, which remains high in some areas. We would also coordinate services such as planning, street-scene, housing, social services and leisure to provide early intervention and therefore address the causes of anti-social behaviour and crime. This builds on the outstanding work already undertaken through the Persistent and Prolific Offenders scheme.

5.5 A targeted approach through Area Committees will address issues such as teenage pregnancies, while innovative work already delivered in the area (such as the MEND programme for childhood obesity) will continue to be driven through an East Suffolk Children’s Trust.

5.6 The Council will continue work already undertaken in the area on solutions to address local housing needs with Town and Parish Councils and Area Committees. For example, affordable homes have been created in Orford with the involvement of the community to ensure it is sustainable.

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5.7 The authority would support the wider constituency of the LSP in engaging the community to address community cohesion. Community cohesion is a localised issue, with different concerns in different areas, which have been addressed effectively through initiatives such as Suffolk Coastal Teen Voice’s Generation Jigsaw project, which seeks to bridge the gap in perceptions between older and younger people.

5.8 The Council is uniquely placed to utilise its natural resources and established cultural network to enhance the lives of its residents.

Economic development

5.9 The Council will work to develop relationships between businesses and education to provide a complete menu of relevant training to ensure young people with differing abilities can achieve their educational potential and benefit from – as well as be a benefit to - local growth industries.

5.10 A step change in the education of the workforce is key to tacking the deprivation in parts of East Suffolk.

5.11 The Council will support and encourage key industries and business clusters, particularly around: • energy (renewable energy, nuclear energy and energy management enterprises form a ribbon running from north to south), • logistics (focused on the Port of Felixstowe), • technology (at Martlesham), and • tourism.

5.12 Lowestoft and Felixstowe share an agenda for resort management; regeneration, housing and social cohesion. There are opportunities for joint working and shared learning in the regeneration process. The key to Lowestoft’s regeneration is to the south to seize the economic benefits from the rest of East Suffolk and those spreading up the A12 corridor and via the main train route from London and the South East.

5.13 We will work in partnership with organisations such as EEDA, Business Link and Tastes of Anglia, to maintain and develop business clusters and fora (such as the Suffolk Coastal Business Forum) for the many small businesses which provide employment, deliver services and invigorate the local economy. We will also support diversification, particularly in market towns and rural areas.

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5.14 Agriculture remains a key industry in the area, contributing to the economy and to the unique look of our countryside. Support will continue for diversification and development, such as conversion of redundant buildings, farmers’ markets and promotion to ensure farming’s viability.

5.15 The authority and residents can have a greater influence on major local issues that have significant impact on the whole East Suffolk community, such as the quality of the A12 and local rail routes to improve road transport and local communication links as well as reduce the pressure on village centres.

Environment

5.16 To ensure the coastline, estuaries and the Broads are both protected and effectively managed, the Council will use a multi-agency approach, working with key national government agencies such as the Environment Agency and Natural England together with local communities in areas potentially under threat, to develop innovative solutions such as the initiative underway in Bawdsey.

5.17 Manage the impact of climate change on residents, agriculture and areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) as well as other wildlife and countryside areas.

5.18 Accommodate new developments without detriment to the existing natural and built environment by engaging with local communities whilst taking a strategic overview through the way the authority is structured.

5.19 We will continue to ensure effective environmental management, for example to minimise waste going to landfill (through reducing and reusing) as well building on strong performance in recycling.

5.20 The new Council will have a green philosophy which will run throughout its culture and be embedded in its strategies, policies and practices. Engagement with local communities and businesses is key to achieving our goals for the climate change agenda. The Council will develop existing partnerships such as the Greenprint forum and collaboration with C-Red.

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6 Strategic Leadership

6.1 The new authority will ensure that it punches its weight on national and regional issues, but can also address the issues that matter most to our local communities and people. It will be member-led to ensure that the authority engages with citizens and is transparent and accountable for the decisions that it makes.

6.2 Our governance structures will enable greater engagement between Members, and local residents and communities, on their priority issues. This will ensure that the authority’s Members will play a key role in Community Leadership.

6.3 To deliver this ambition, the authority will establish a modern and innovative approach to the roles of its Members, its governance and scrutiny structure, its community leadership, its officer structure, and its customer service. We will adopt best practice from other successful authorities.

6.4 The authority will exploit the latest technology to involve and empower citizens as well as improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Members and officers.

Role of Councillors

6.5 The current two-tier structure has approaching 200 councillors representing residents in the eastern area. This number would be reduced to approximately 80 members, each representing c2,500-3,500 people. This equates to one member for each small market town, in the region of 8 for an area such as Felixstowe or 20 for Lowestoft. Councillors are therefore able to be closely involved in specific communities, and are more accountable to their electorate. This scale of authority enables meetings to be moved around and effective interaction between all councillors and relevant officers.

6.6 Local Councillors can have greater influence in developing services that matter most to the local community and will therefore become much more of a ‘community advocate’. This will involve closer engagement with Town and Parish Councils and other key partners both directly and through Area Committees.

6.7 We will promote and develop ward surgeries, building upon existing good practice, to act as another key link between the local community and their Councillor. This will increase the visibility, accessibility and accountability of Councillors. Similarly it will enable all members of the public to engage fully with their Councillor, who will be

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able to use their increased levels of empowerment to directly address local issues themselves.

6.8 Members will be supported by a learning and development framework to enhance their skills. They will also receive support from locality managers and other officers.

Governance and Scrutiny structure

6.9 The authority proposes the structure shown at Appendix 4 as its potential working model. This model has a small strategic and decision making core which will consider the key cross service issues facing the area, as well as being responsible for tackling key strategic and cross boundary issues. Key service decisions will be made by service specific members who will report up to the strategic core. Council elections will be held every four years and Councillors appointed to posts in accordance with guidelines and best practice.

6.10 This system will allow the authority to punch its weight at national and regional levels through the focus of the core team, whilst addressing local or service specific issues through the service specific Members. The reporting structure will ensure that local issues are presented to the strategic core to influence the overarching vision, strategy and direction.

6.11 A network of Area Committees (as shown in Appendix 5) would be established to provide a coordinated approach to local service delivery and provide responsiveness to local circumstances and needs. These could be based, for instance, on boundaries such as school clusters. Committees would have the opportunity to engage with Police, PCTs, Fire Service and other bodies as appropriate. An Area Committee may be provided with a locality budget to address the local priorities of citizens.

6.12 Ward Members and Area Committees can address local issues directly to the service specific Members to ensure that community needs and concerns are being listened to and addressed.

6.13 Strategy and policy development will be supported via themed Policy Development Groups to ensure that the responsible portfolio holder has a cross section of views and is utilising a good breadth of knowledge and skills. The Policy Development Groups will engage with local communities and communities of interest to ensure there is engagement of service users in the policy making process. Any stakeholders or partners (e.g. police, PCTs) that have an interest or responsibility on the policy development or associated service delivery will be actively engaged.

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6.14 There will be a robust Scrutiny structure, aligned to portfolios and reflecting the East Suffolk unitary area’s priorities. The alignment would build scrutiny’s relationship as ‘critical friend’ to portfolio holders and develop councillor expertise. The Scrutiny Committee will provide a key link to the Council for local people and ensure the accountability of the Cabinet through pro-active use of ‘call-ins’ and ‘Community Calls for Action’. The community leadership role of Councillors increases their accountability to their electorate, as well as improving engagement.

6.15 The new Comprehensive Area Assessment will cover the East Suffolk unitary area, monitoring the Council and its partners progress in delivering effective and efficient services to the right communities in ways that meet their needs. The Council will use benchmarking, peer review and other best practice to drive forward continuous improvement.

6.16 Meetings will be held in public and rotated throughout the area to ensure that there is significant opportunity for community engagement in decision making, scrutiny and policy development. Technology will be used to enable more citizens to engage with the authority.

Community Leadership

6.17 Members will have a strong involvement in the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and the development of the Sustainable Community Strategy. They will be encouraged to play an active role in key projects delivered via the LSP to ensure outcomes are delivered that match the original community aspirations. This would replace and build on the strong, successful LSPs already operating in the East Suffolk unitary area.

6.18 The East Suffolk Sustainable Community Strategy and Local Area Agreement will be developed in consultation with Area Committees, Community Groups and the Voluntary Sector, key public sector partners and local businesses along with local residents. This will ensure that it reflects the needs of all our local communities as well as taking into account national and regional priorities.

6.19 Existing engagement with groups such as Suffolk Coastal Teen Voices will be developed and replicated across the area to ensure that best practice is shared and that the best and most cost effective processes are used to involve the community.

Officers

6.20 A flat structure will be developed for officers, with a core of chief officers to focus on key strategies, reflecting the Member governance structure. This core team will work

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with Members to develop and deliver the Council’s vision and associated strategies. Below the strategic core, the flat structure would give flexibility and reflect the cross- cutting nature of many of East Suffolk Council’s services.

6.21 At a local level, Ward Members will be supported by a Locality Manager. These officers would be the link between East Suffolk Council’s strategic work and the community, being a contact for unitary councillors, town and parish councils, as well as other partners and community organisations. They will ensure that local priorities are being tackled effectively.

Delivering through partnerships

6.22 An overarching strategy for Customer Engagement and Customer Service will be developed and will underpin all other strategies and policies. This will also be key to developing partnerships and other service delivery models. The core principles of this strategy will meet the government standard on customer service excellence and will cover: • Customer insight, • Organisation culture, • Information and accessibility, • Service delivery, and • Timeliness and Quality of service.

6.23 East Suffolk Council will be able to create effective end-to-end services. We intend to review services that are currently split between district and county councils, such as waste collection and waste disposal, trading standards and environmental protection to create more efficient, joined-up and cost effective ways of working.

6.24 It is expected that Fire Services and other supra-services would be delivered through joint authority arrangements, depending on the business case.

6.25 Some services, including those relating to social care, may be delivered by the third sector. East Suffolk Council would support the development of this sector to ensure capacity, efficiency and effectiveness.

6.26 Where it is most effective, services will be devolved down to organisations best suited to deliver against local requirements. This may be town and parish councils, voluntary groups or community groups. Support and training will be provided to ensure these organisations have the necessary skills.

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7 Neighbourhood Empowerment

7.1 East Suffolk Council will embrace its ‘duty to involve’ all local people. The Cabinet therefore will have a strategic community leadership role; development and management of the overarching Sustainable Community Strategy, decision making and service delivery will be a bottom-up process, being driven locally by communities, Town and Parish Councils. This will promote accessibility, involvement and ownership by and for local communities, and ensure that the issues most concerning local people can be prioritised and resourced.

7.2 Key to this ambition are supporting the creation and further development of:

a. A Lowestoft Town Council – This will ensure that the largest urban area in East Suffolk has strong and locally accountable representation responding to the specific challenges of the local area and its people.

b. Stronger relationships with the Town and Parish Councils – This will enable East Suffolk Council to engage with the residents of those communities, understand and address their concerns, consider their views, and tailor centrally delivered services accordingly to meet the different local needs.

c. A network of Area Committees (see Appendix 5) – These would provide a coordinated approach to local service delivery and provide responsiveness to local circumstances and needs. These could be based, for instance, on boundaries such as school clusters. Committees would have the opportunity to actively engage with Police, PCTs, Fire Service and other bodies as appropriate. The Area Committee may be provided with a locality budget to address the local priorities of citizens.

d. Stronger relationships and support for Voluntary and Community Groups - Many of these will be focused on specific geographic locations but the Council will work to identify and encourage and learn from best practice, especially where there is a need for a broader overview of issues or where the model could be replicated in several locations for the benefit of communities e.g. replicating Suffolk Coastal Teen Voices (SCTV) or the Positive Changes Group across the new authority area.

7.3 The new authority will work closely with these bodies to engage with the residents of that community to understand and address their concerns and consider their views to

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ensure that centrally delivered services are tailored to meet their requirements wherever possible. One size does not fit all and therefore arrangements need to be configured to meet local needs and abilities within the area. The following options for fostering local empowerment will be considered:

a. Delegation of decision-making, so decisions that only affect the local area are devolved to Town and Parish Councils and so made by local residents. For example, market towns may decide some planning applications, and manage tree preservation orders, noise control or street-scene maintenance, with a formal framework ensuring consistency across East Suffolk.

b. Locality budgets provided to Town and Parish Councils or Area Committees ensuring that the issues most concerning local people can be prioritised and tackled. Service could be purchased directly from the Council to ensure economies of scale are being achieved or through the effective use of the third sector.

c. Devolving management of services to a Town or Parish Council that has received Quality Parish Council status.

d. Management and ownership of local assets devolved to the Town or Parish Council to ensure the local community can use and exploit assets in response to local needs.

e. Adoption by the Council of an open approach to petitions so that there is a further, formal, avenue into the Council. The Council would introduce guidelines that may include no age requirement, or only requiring a small number of signatures. f. Work with local communities to develop “community charters” that will enable them to prioritise and focus on local objectives.

7.4 A learning and development framework will be put in place for Town and Parish Members and Area Committee Members to ensure that they are sufficiently skilled to make local decisions. A robust framework will be put in place to allow consistency and effectiveness. Decision-making will be made by elected Members although there will be significant opportunity for non-elected members to influence the decision making process through engagement with the Council or Committee meetings. Community Groups and Voluntary Sector will be actively encouraged to be involved in the Area Committee structure.

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7.5 The new authority will ensure that it provides sufficient information to the Town and Parish Councils, on local, regional and national issues that may impact their decision making.

7.6 As well as devolving budgets and responsibilities down to local level, the unitary authority would use town and parish councils and similar bodies to feed views and issues up to inform decision-making.

7.7 Town and parish councils, and any alternative structures that are developed, will continue to receive support from Council officers. Such support already includes: provision of IT equipment, training, liaison, and support in development of parish and town plans (delivered through a partner, Suffolk Acre).

7.8 Any agreement between the Unitary Authority and the Town and Parish Councils would be based on shared values ensuring that all parts of the local community are treated fairly.

Locally accountable, strategically powerful 21 The vision for East Suffolk

8 Affordability and value for money

8.1 The size and common characteristics of the East Suffolk unitary area mean that the area is large enough to achieve economies of scale, while not being so large that additional levels of management or sub-areas are required. Specific issues affecting the whole area (such as care and support for older people, or rural integration and neighbourhood cohesion) can be prioritised. Issues which only affect smaller areas (for example particular urban issues in Felixstowe or Lowestoft) may be addressed through devolved budgets to the local area. The authority will consider innovative and transformational approaches in the way that it procures and delivers its services.

8.2 We anticipate that this concept for an East Suffolk will meet the affordability criteria, and that transitional costs would be recovered within the required period.

Effective service delivery

8.3 East Suffolk Unitary Council will work closely with its communities (as detailed in section 7) to understand their priorities. These will inform and influence the level and quality of service provision. Effective service delivery through partnerships has already been detailed in “Delivering through partnerships” (s6.22 onwards).

8.4 The council will not directly deliver all services but will look for the most effective method or partners for delivering cost-effective services. These partners may be from either the public or private sector. Options and business cases will be developed and continually monitored for all of the Council’s services to ensure that quality services are being delivered in the most cost effective manner to the Council Tax payer.

8.5 Both Suffolk Coastal (waste management, asset management, ICT, building control, leisure centres, theatre, audit and legal services) and Waveney (Orbis Energy project) have a strong track record of delivering services in partnership with both public and private sector organisations. There is also a strong record of working in partnership between the local authorities within the proposed East Suffolk unitary area, such as the innovative approach shown by Waveney and Suffolk Coastal District councils in sharing a Chief Executive.

8.6 Where it is most effective, service management will be devolved down to organisations best suited to deliver against local requirements. This may be town and parish councils, area committees, voluntary groups or community groups.

Locally accountable, strategically powerful 22 The vision for East Suffolk

8.7 Processes will be mapped to the ‘customer journey’ to ensure that any waste is driven out of the system. Information relating to the customer’s interaction with the authority will be securely recorded using Customer Relationship Management techniques and systems. Programmes and projects will be delivered using a structured framework and will have the correct governance in place to ensure there are high degrees of accountability.

8.8 Staff and stakeholders will have the relevant learning and development opportunities, ensuring the best delivery of high quality services by committed and enthusiastic staff. Succession planning and knowledge management will be developed to facilitate consistent and sustainable service delivery across the Council.

8.9 The Council will transform existing service delivery by using a number of local one- stop shops and offices close to the communities that need those services most. Services offered via the one-stop shop will be tailored to meet local needs and priorities. These one-stop shops will be shared with other public sector and private sector bodies to ensure a streamlined and co-ordinated system for the user. This builds on work at the Waveney Campus.

8.10 The Council will work with partners to use IT to transform the manner in which it delivers its services in future. This will increase the options available to customers to access information, engage with the Council and obtain services. Members and Officers will have the appropriate technology to access information relevant to them so that they can make decisions or offer services expediently and effectively. This will provide a significant shift in focus as to how the Council operates when compared to existing models.

8.11 There will be no one central location for the Council and it will work flexibly over a number of smaller locations across the area. This is a real strength for the Council as it will more visible and accessible to the service user. This approach suits a large geographic area such as East Suffolk and a similar model is in place in East Riding of .

8.12 The East Suffolk Council will want to deliver services that not only meet but exceed the ambitions of the transformation agenda. The authority will work with local, regional and national partners to shape, design and deliver services that meet the specific needs and circumstances of the local community in East Suffolk. The national transformation agenda aims to explore how the delivery of national government services can be made more effective and efficient by using local delivery mechanisms, shared premises and alternative delivery channels. The East Suffolk

Locally accountable, strategically powerful 23 The vision for East Suffolk

unitary Council will seek to engage with this agenda, aiming to achieve a major step change in public sector service delivery. This ambition will complement the model that the Council will develop for service delivery. Examples of this joint approach include responding to key life events such as moving in or out of work, and indeed, of the area, and meeting the public service needs of vulnerable groups.

8.13 The Council will be innovative in the way that it delivers its services and will work as a ‘virtual’ authority with no single, centralised “civic centre” but with service access points throughout the area so that East Suffolk Council is closer to the communities it serves. These will be delivered through the effective use of information technology and refined processes that match the ‘customer journey’ and provide self service opportunities where this is most effective to do so. We will work alongside key local and regional business partners to transform the manner in which IT and communications technologies are used to delivered cutting edge, but user friendly services Ongoing efforts will be made to achieve channel shift amongst customers and communities, dependent on their needs, to maintain cost effective service delivery.

8.14 Service points would be distributed according to resident need, by using evidence and profiling tools. We would also look to develop new methods to access East Suffolk Council’s services, providing the best channels for different customer groups. These might include web-cam access to customer services and partners’ staff, or developing our outreach services to hold regular customer service drop-in days in village halls. Close working with partners to deliver cross-cutting and related services via a one stop shop approach ensuring that enquiries and services are handled first time and to the users’ satisfaction. Libraries and tourist information centres in the area would be developed into customer service points to provide a greater range of services to residents (like the Navigator Centre in Lowestoft).

Performance and Resource Management

8.15 A robust performance management system, such as the Balanced Scorecard, will be used to deliver and manage the Council’s priorities. This would apply to all levels of the Council, including its locality arrangements.

8.16 Areas of under-performance will be addressed through a ‘project team’ approach. Key internal and external stakeholders will develop a plan to improve performance as quickly and effectively as possible while ensuring that improvement is sustained.

Locally accountable, strategically powerful 24 The vision for East Suffolk

Members will be engaged in the process to ensure that the required outcomes for the community are achieved.

8.17 Performance information will be shared between partners (particularly the LAA and LSP), Area Committees and citizens to improve engagement and understanding.

8.18 Strong budgetary management processes will be tied to the performance framework. This will ensure consideration on delivering cost effective services is included as part of the planning and monitoring process. Service specific budget targets will be put in place to ensure that each service is looking to achieve annual cost savings as prescribed within the Comprehensive Spending Review ‘07.

8.19 A risk management framework will be established to ensure that the Council is taking measures to protect itself against significant risk and is also looking for opportunities to take the appropriate level of risk where circumstances arise.

Asset Management

8.20 The new authority will seek to share assets between services and partner organisations wherever possible. This will foster better working practices and reduce dependency on existing assets. There will be a detailed asset database to highlight opportunities for: alternative asset use to suit local requirements; devolution of assets to local communities who may be better placed to exploit a building or space more effectively (as set out in the Action Plan for Community Empowerment); opportunities for disposal.

Locally accountable, strategically powerful 25 The vision for East Suffolk

9 Broad cross section of support

9.1 Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils have been encouraged by support for this concept received from a range of local partners, including town and parish councils, other partners and business.

9.2 We will support the Boundary Committee in seeking views on the correct structure for East Suffolk from the wider community, but it was not possible to consult extensively on this concept in the time available.

Locally accountable, strategically powerful 26 Appendix 1- Joint Statement from the Leaders

Joint Statement on Unitary Government in Suffolk

As Leaders of our respective councils we fully support the proposals for the creation of East Suffolk; West Suffolk and Ipswich unitary authorities across Suffolk.

In responding to the Boundary Committee Review we believe that there is an opportunity to create three local authorities that can really connect with, respond to, and help shape the varied local communities, both in the rural areas of the West and East of the county and the urban centres, including Ipswich. These three unitary authorities should be structured to achieve a balance between urban and rural areas and reflect the huge diversity in physical and human geography in Suffolk. We believe that the models set out in our concept statements for new unitary authorities in Suffolk allow effective representation for their varied local communities whilst still creating councils which are both large enough to be strategic and to achieve economies of scale and efficiency.

We are firmly of the opinion that one giant unitary council covering the whole of Suffolk cannot achieve this aim and is therefore not in the interests of our residents nor indeed the businesses that drive our different local economies. Furthermore, a unitary responsible for more than 700,000 people – nearly a quarter of a million above the largest unitary recently approved – simply would not be able to provide the level of democratic representation our communities expect.

Our Council Tax payers also have the right to have their money spent locally, based on their own input into decision-making and budget-setting. This community engagement would enable their own local needs and priorities to be met and is something that three unitaries within Suffolk would more easily achieve, giving a much higher degree of transparency in local decision-making.

We therefore believe the creation of three local authorities (Ipswich; East Suffolk and West Suffolk) that reflect the distinctive identities and economies of Suffolk would provide the necessary local focus so important to the people of the county. We support these three unitary Concepts on the basis that they are big enough to work, but local enough to connect

Ray Herring – Leader, Suffolk Coastal District Council

Liz Harsant – Leader, Ipswich Borough Council

John Griffiths – Leader, St Edmundsbury Borough Council

Mark Bee – Leader of Conservative Group, Waveney District Council

27 Appendix 2 – Other proposals considered

“Yartoft” 1.1 It is appreciated that in conducting its review, the Boundary Committee must also address the option of a Yartoft alternative solution for Suffolk and Norfolk. The Leaders of all the Norfolk and Suffolk authorities have unanimously concluded that they can not support or substantiate a case for putting together the whole or any part of Great Yarmouth Borough Council or Waveney District Council in any permutation of Unitary authority. 1.2 In light of the current Use of Resources performance of Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Waveney District Council it seems unlikely that a new unitary authority for this area would be able to deliver the Boundary Committee’s requirements in terms of affordability or value for money. The East Suffolk Unitary Council will combine best practice and innovation from more successful authorities. 1.3 Initial indications suggest that a Yartoft proposal is unlikely to gain the support of the majority of the public, the local authorities or the Police Authorities. It is therefore considered, even at this stage of the Boundary Committee’s review, that a broad section of support will not be expressed in relation to this concept. 1.4 We do not support a Yartoft unitary that combines Great Yarmouth with Lowestoft and Waveney as we believe that this does not reflect communities of interest, or best meet their future needs. 1.5 The Strategic Leadership criteria require a unitary structure to provide strong effective and accountable strategic leadership, inclusive of strong economic leadership. Currently, both areas have difficult social and economic issues to tackle. The possibility of joining them into a new unitary authority could generate or exacerbate a sense of isolation instead of creating a supportive environment to develop a sense of optimism for the future. There is a real risk that creating a single unitary council in this area could compound the issues of social deprivation that already exist, particularly within Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. A new Unitary Council derived from the previous struggling authorities could create an imbalance across Norfolk and Suffolk whereby ‘Yartoft’ is seen as the poor relation on a regional and national basis, and so continues to struggle. 1.6 Waveney District Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council are no longer recognised as a separate sub-region. Existing cross-boundary and sub- regional working on appropriate issues would continue, develop and grow with East Suffolk Council. This would include 1st East as well as co-operation for tourism and the off-shore technologies sector. Combining Waveney District Council with Suffolk Coastal and parts of Mid Suffolk and Babergh District Councils, as well as aspects of Suffolk County Council, would create a ‘CPA good’ Unitary authority with clear prospects for improvement, spreading good and best practice across the whole unitary area, especially in terms of Strategic Leadership.

Unitary Suffolk 1.7 We do not support one unitary for the whole of Suffolk as we believe that one single council for the whole county would too large an large organisation,

28 remote from its citizens and unable to effectively engage with the various and diverse needs of the local communities as it would have a population of nearly 700,000 and an area of nearly 4,000km2. 1.8 A unitary Suffolk would be comparable in size to Leeds or Birmingham, but would not only have to address urban issues. There is a real danger that specific rural and coastal issues would not be addressed as more visible issues were prioritised – for example, “hotspots” of urban deprivation rather than the harder to identify, scattered rural deprivation. 1.9 A county-wide approach introduces diseconomies of scale as additional management layers will be required for administration. This is already found in the existing Suffolk County Council structure. 1.10 In a county-based unitary, it would be difficult to provide sufficient democratic accountability. A county-based approach is not innovative, and may indicate a resistance to change. Resources are currently stretched across the county, a situation that is unlikely to improve in a unitary. 1.11 The current two-tier structure has approaching 200 councillors in east Suffolk alone; it is likely that a unitary Suffolk might require 150 members. Such a large council would have a negative impact on member roles and authority.

29 Appendix 3 - map of new look Suffolk

30 Appendix 4 – Member governance model

31 Appendix 5 – Community empowerment and engagement

National and Regional Priorities

Influenced by: Government Departments Go-East East of England Regional Assembly East of England Development Agency Haven Gateway Partnership

East Suffolk Local East Suffolk Strategic Local Area East Suffolk Authority Cabinet and Ward Members Partnership Agreement

Locality Managers

Town and Parish Councillors Area Unitary Councillors Lead Partners and Committees Other Organsiations

Local Priorities National and Regional Priorities Regional and National Priorities Local Our Communities and our Residents

32