Waveney District Council Leader Cllr Mark Bee believes that the financial case presented for a single unitary Norfolk council involving Lowestoft simply does not stack up and has warned the town’s residents not to take the proposals at face value.
Norfolk County Council announced their business case for a new Norfolk mega-council yesterday and, amongst other things, claimed that Lowestoft residents would pay £12 a year less Council Tax as part of this proposed administration. But Cllr Bee disputes the figures, pointing out that they fail to acknowledge an additional charge which the town’s taxpayers would face.
He said: "The people of Lowestoft have already expressed their dismay at the prospect of having their affairs run by Norfolk and they will be even more concerned by a financial package that frankly does not stack up. We have seen no satisfactory explanation of the assumptions behind some of their numbers and the headline figures simply do not tell the whole story.
"For example, their council tax proposals fail to acknowledge that any new unitary council incorporating Lowestoft would require the creation of a town council and this would bolt on an additional 'precept' to their council tax figures for the town. Such an additional charge would ensure that the people of Lowestoft end up paying more council tax and not less."
Waveney District Council supports the creation of an East Suffolk Unitary authority, as part of a three council structure alongside a West Suffolk and ‘North Haven’ arrangement. Central to these proposals is the retention of Lowestoft in Suffolk and a clear rejection of any option that creates either a giant unitary council for Suffolk, or the similarly unwieldy ‘Rural’ Suffolk option. This proposed structure is also backed by St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Forest Heath District Council and further details can be ffound on this website.
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Waveney District Council has its own comprehensive LGR web area at: www.waveney.gov.uk/Your+Council/Local+Government+Review
People can express their views on the proposals by using the online form at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/boundary-reviews/all-reviews/eastern/suffolk/suffolk-structural-review
Alternatively, you can write to: Review Manager (Norfolk/Suffolk Review), The Boundary Committee for England, Trevelyan House, Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2HW or email: reviews@boundarycommittee.org.uk.
The closing date for responses is Friday 26 September.