Warwickshire County Council's quest to lead the transition to one big council is being opposed in town halls across the patch. 

The government wants all two-tier areas – where most council services are delivered across two levels, county and districts or borough councils – to streamline into unitary authorities by 2028.

Warwickshire County Council is advocating one unitary based on the current county footprint whereas four of the county's five districts and boroughs – Warwick, Stratford-on-Avon, Nuneaton & Bedworth and North Warwickshire – want two unitaries and a north-south split. 

But there is now a second bone of contention ahead of the submission of final cases by November 28 – Warwickshire County Council's push for continuing authority status. 

Rather than be abolished in the same way as the five district and borough councils, Warwickshire County Council argues it should continue until 2028, bolting on the district and borough responsibilities until the new council is formed. 

The argument is that it is simpler and cheaper but political and professional voices from the districts and boroughs fear old habits could die hard and embed the current county's practices into the new body, stifling the prospect of meaningful change and the voices of those second-tier councils.

Districts and boroughs 'uneasy'

Stratford-on-Avon District Council's cabinet voted without dissent on Monday to continue pushing for two unitaries and also to oppose the county's proposed continuing authority status if the government decides to go for one.

Leader Cllr Susan Juned told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "You don't just carry on as normal and absorb a few things in, it is a new council which does things in a different way.

"It is making sure that the best of all the current councils are brought together to see how things can be delivered in a better way. 

"If you go across councils that have become unitaries or have been unitaries for some years, they have brought together things like housing and homelessness responsibilities with adult social care, knitting them together to deliver a better service, not just saying one service takes over and might add on a few extras.

"This is about looking at how you can deliver in a much more focused and value-added way.

"District councils want to make clear that there has to be a transition to a different authority if the decision is made to go with one unitary, that there is that examination of services and not just business as usual.

"They are all a bit uneasy about what they understand could happen and want to make it clear, as the white paper does, that we are not thinking about continuing authorities."

She added that the quartet of councils was "still hopeful that our ask of government for two unitaries will be looked at" with "the reasons we have put forward taken seriously".

During Monday's meeting, Stratford's portfolio holder for resources Cllr David Curtis, who also represents Stour & the Vale on the county council, said his residents had "expressed real concerns about what the impact of county-wide unitary may be" and had told him it was "essential to avoid a continuing authority (and) that it is not a takeover".

Law and governance lead Cllr Natalie Gist added: "It doesn't seem to me that it is in the spirit of the legislation proposed by the government."

Is county seeking 'pole position'?

Those views are set to be rubber stamped at a meeting for all Stratford councillors on Monday but the cabinets at Warwick District Council and Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council are also poised to oppose the county's continuing authority on Wednesday (November 12).

Warwick's report argues that continuing authority status would push district and borough staff and councillors into positions of weakness.

"Effectively, what this would mean in a single unitary option is that WCC would continue as a legal entity rather than being abolished, as would happen to the borough and district councils in the county," it reads. 

"Borough and district council staff would in effect be 'add-ons' rather than, as had been previously portrayed, local government reform being transformational (with) all existing councils removed and a new one(s) put in place. 

"The argument relayed to WDC officers is that this (is) to remove the need for TUPE (the transfer of) WCC staff. However, it also puts WCC councillors and senior staff in 'pole position' in terms of managing the creation of the new council and therefore increases the risk that borough and district councillors and staff could have less input within the new authority, and that the new organisation does not start with a new culture or framework but a two-tier approach embedded within it. 

"Whilst this risk only occurs if a single unitary council is chosen by the government, it is still not appropriate to create transformational change. Therefore, this council should take steps in communications with MPs and the government to ensure that continued authority status is not granted."

The county's take

Warwickshire County Council describes the status as enabling it to be "the legal and administrative successor during the transition to a new unitary authority".

"This approach provides a simpler, quicker and more cost-effective way to manage the transition compared to creating an entirely new legal entity," a statement added.

Among the advantages cited by the county are the ability to maintain statutory powers, ensure uninterrupted delivery of services, hold and manage assets, liabilities and contracts in the interim and mitigate risks associated with pulling apart complex services already delivered on a county-wide basis.

Warwickshire County Council did not take the opportunity to respond to Cllr Juned's comments.