Warwickshire County Council has restated its case for a single county-wide unitary authority to replace the area's six biggest councils from 2028.

A government consultation on whether to choose one unitary or create two through a north-south split ended this week with bosses at Shire Hall submitting its views. 

Warwickshire County Council has not only advocated one new council based on the current county footprint but also asked to be considered for continuing authority status, meaning it would be the legal successor while the new council is formed. Opponents have argued that would amount to a "hostile takeover" by embedding the current county council's cultures in what is meant to be a fresh start. 

Shire Hall's response to the consultation focuses on familiar areas, stating that the county's evidence "shows that a single unitary model would maximise outcomes for the people of Warwickshire" in terms of jobs, healthy living, access to housing, education, safety, getting around and the environment.

It continues: "A single council will deliver stronger communities, finances, voice, partnerships, services, places and outcomes due to its scale and simplicity, while enabling locally tailored and targeted services delivered in places through neighbourhood teams."

Perhaps the most striking suggestion within the submission is the idea that "a single unitary facilitates the creation of a single, cohesive local plan", one that would streamline spatial planning "and enabling more effective alignment with housing, transport and environmental strategies". 

This comes at a time when some districts and boroughs are in the last throes of refreshing or rebuilding their own local plans amid fierce public debate about the number of homes they are being told to cater for by national government, particularly in more rural pockets of Warwickshire. 

Shire Hall bosses also warn of creating "artificial divisions" in relation to the economy and say that sticking to a single Warwickshire footprint is the best way to work with partners such as the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), NHS bodies, police, fire and the voluntary sector, "all of which already operate at or across a county scale".

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It points to government guidance that unitary areas should seek to have a population of 500,000 or more and claims that two unitaries would suffer from "imbalances in council tax bases and service demands" which "risks undue disadvantage to the north unitary along with financial sustainability and resilience risks across both".

It predicts going with one new council would deliver £18.7 million in annual net benefits and up to £119 million in long-term transformation savings.

"This financial capacity allows the council to protect – and reform – essential services such as adult social care, children's services, education, planning and public health, particularly in areas with the greatest need," the submission adds.

"Crucially, the model avoids the risks and disruption of disaggregating county-wide services, supporting stable delivery and stronger partnerships with health, police and other public sector partners."

Leader Cllr George Finch was tasked with signing off the response on behalf of elected officials.

In doing so, he said: "Local government reorganisation was not voted on in the general election of 2024.

"However, this has come down the track very quickly from the national government. They are forcing councils to decide on which way they prefer it to be done and the government makes that decision. 

"We (would have preferred) that it never happened but for the betterment of Warwickshire and the residents, to make sure that services are more efficient and we are not dividing the county, we prefer a single unitary. That is what council voted for."

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