The vision for East Suffolk 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 Lowestoft. 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 Felixstowe are bustling and vibrant resorts looking to the future with key regeneration plans; the seaside towns of Aldeburgh and Southwold 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 Locally accountable, strategically powerful 2 The vision for East Suffolk • 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 Locally accountable, strategically powerful 3 The vision for East Suffolk 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 West Suffolk and Ipswich 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 Locally accountable, strategically powerful 4 The vision for East Suffolk 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 Locally accountable, strategically powerful 5 The vision for East Suffolk 3 Proposal 3.1 In response to the current Local Government Review within Norfolk 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 England 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. Locally accountable, strategically powerful 6 The vision for East Suffolk 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.