Department for Communities and Local Government Fry Building 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF

Telephone: 030 3444 0000 Owen Lewis

Date: 27 February 2017

Dear Sir/Madam

Freedom of Information Act 2000 - 3173063

Thank you for your request for information concerning Many local authorities have in recent months submitted applications to the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government to consider replacing county and district authorities with combined authorities. These were last invited by the Secretary of State under the Strong and Prosperous Communities programme.

1. Under what programme or legislation is this being submitted?

2. Which councils have submitted proposals?

3. Where can the proposals be accessed? Please provide proposal papers or weblink if possible.

4. What is the timetable for decision making?, which we received on 13 February 2017 and processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I can confirm that the information requested is held by the Department for Communities and Local Government and we are able to provide you with all this information.

Many local authorities have in recent months submitted applications to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to consider replacing county and district authorities with combined authorities. These were last invited by the Secretary of State under the Strong and Prosperous Communities programme.

Please note - given the reference to the Strong and Prosperous Communities programme, we have interpreted this as a request for information relating to proposals for the creation of unitary local authorities rather than for the establishment of combined authorities. I have set out below responses to your questions.

1. Under what programme or legislation is this being submitted?

The proposals submitted are asking the Secretary of State to exercise powers under the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 and the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. TEMPLATE FRAMEWORK – NOT TO BE USED FOR SUBMISSION OF DRAFT ANSWERS

2. Which councils have submitted proposals?

DCLG has received three proposals, from: County Council - proposal to replace the four district councils and the county council with a single unitary authority for Buckinghamshire; District Council, Chiltern District Council, District Council and Council - proposal to replace the four district councils and the county council with two unitary authorities for Buckinghamshire; and

Bournemouth Borough Council, Dorset County Council, District Council, Poole Borough Council, District Council, and Borough Council - proposal to replace all councils in the County of Dorset and Poole and Bournemouth Borough Councils with two unitary authorities.

3. Where can the proposals be accessed? Please provide proposal papers or weblink if possible.

Buckinghamshire County Council proposal: http://futurebucks.co.uk/business-case/

Aylesbury Vale District Council, Chiltern District Council, South Bucks District Council and Wycombe District Council: https://www.wycombe.gov.uk/pages/About-the-council/Modernising-local- government/Modernising-local-government.aspx

Bournemouth Borough Council, Dorset County Council, North Dorset District Council, Poole Borough Council, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council: https://futuredorset.co.uk/

4. What is the timetable for decision making?

No timetables have been provided for decision-making.

Complaints procedure

If you are unhappy with this response, we will review it and report back to you. (This is called an internal review.) If you want us to do this, let us know by return email within two months of receiving this response. You can also ask by letter addressed to:

Department for Communities and Local Government Knowledge and Information Access Team 1st Floor NW, Fry Building 2 Marsham Street London, SW1P 4DF

If you are unhappy with the outcome of this internal review, you can ask the independent Information Commissioner to investigate. The Information TEMPLATE FRAMEWORK – NOT TO BE USED FOR SUBMISSION OF DRAFT ANSWERS

Commissioner can be contacted at email address [email protected] or use their online form at ico.org.uk/concerns or call them on 0303 123 1113.

Yours faithfully

Andrew Lock FoI Business Partner - Localism

1st floor Fry 2 Marsham Street London Tel: 0303 44 42137 Email: [email protected]