Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Chloe Smith (Conservative). It was answered by John Denham (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 March 2010 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Unitary Authority (Norfolk)

Question: For what reasons he overruled the advice of his Department's accounting officer in relation to the value for money of his proposals for unitary restructuring in Norfolk.

Answer: Following the end of the consultation on 19 January, Ministers gave careful consideration to the boundary committee's advice, the representations we had received, and all other relevant information, including the advice from the permanent secretary. While expressing concern that our proposed approach would impact adversely on the financial position of the public sector as compared with the alternative options available to us, he highlighted the savings that would be achieved by the unitary Norfolk and unitary Devon proposed by the boundary committee. We had previously been consistently advised that we were not duty bound to choose the cheapest option. We noted that the unitary county option did not command the support of any of the principal councils, including Norfolk county council and Devon county council, and we were reluctant to pursue recommendations that did not meet the broad cross-section of support criteria. We concluded that a unitary Exeter and a unitary Norwich which were locally supported was the best way forward for local people, creating councils far better placed to deliver jobs, growth and services.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 507 c141; 321002
Session: 2009-10
Oral question type: Lead
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Related items: Unitary Authority (Norfolk)
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Proceeding contributions
House of Commons
Subjects: Local government Norfolk
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk