I am surprised that there isn't a lively discussion on the impending changes to local government in this forum. Or maybe I just haven't found it..............

I just visited the BBC Shropshire website and was surprised to find a lot of controversy concerning this. The comments that people have made, have come from across Shropshire and a fair proportion from Shrewsbury. My initial intrigue was due to the alleged vote rigging email, from a SCC councillor, that was sent out to SCC employees in an attempt to influence the BBC Shropshire straw poll. This resulted in the BBC halting the straw poll.

The comments are many and varied on the aforementioned website, some pretty vociferous, and quite an eye opener.

However, as a council tax payer I still do not feel suitably informed to cast a vote on the future of local government in Shropshire/Shrewsbury.

Although, I felt obliged to cast my vote more than a week ago, in the postal ballot, I feel sure that many of those balloted can only do so following their preconceived prejudices or hopes. As I did. I am sure that we all hope for a simpler, transparent, efficient, effective and more accountable and approachable form of Local Government that will result in Lower Council Tax.

I am upset that the The National Government is rushing all this through and I know that there is concern that Local Government is to be increasingly devolved and that Government and power will be managed at increasingly 'higher' levels. Perhaps, The European Superstate is finally here?

John

Or perhaps this is another step along the line towards New Labour's Orwellian dream?

Richard

The vote, by the way, is in no way legally binding. It simply casts public opinion into the debate. If the government wants Shropshire to be unitary it will be.

I personally doubt the turnout in the Shrewsbury ballot will be anything close to being a substantial enough effort to trouble those people pushing it through.

I also findit surprising that the borough council can't find £100,000 for CCTV yet could find £50,000 to launch a referedum and print a shiny brochure about 'my council' without any problem.

The CCTV system had £100,000 cut from its budget but they were able to find a total of £72,000 in spare funds for the non-binding ballot campaign.

£12,000 was spent on the leaflets beforehand that essentially told you nothing about the issues and £60,000 was spend on the ballot itself.

£72,000 works out at about 1% of the annual council tax collected in Shrewsbury (if I remember correctly) which could have been spent on something more deserving in the community.

I was told recently that the council only expect at 30% response from the ballot mail outs which is quite bad when you think that 70% of people sent ballots are not expected to vote either through confusion of the already murky issues or general apathy.

They will be lucky to get a turnout of 30 per cent, that's usual for local elections - and this isn't binding and it's not an issue that many people even understand. It's so complicated.

Thanks for clarifying the costs, it's worse than I thought! So frustrating.

I take that back, a 37 per cent turnout. V Surprising.

Yes, a very surprising response for what was a consultation exercise. Local elections to councils often fall far short of that figure.

In the Bridgnorth vote the turnout was an amazing 47% with 86% against the unitary proposal. This is surprising as the councillors there were 50 - 50 with the Chairman having to make the casting vote against the unitary idea when the matter was debated.

The turnout in South Shropshire was 42% with 57% against the unitary proposal. The council strongly supported the idea.

I've tried to follow the debate and the financial figures bandied about but it's hard to understand. There seems to have a been an impression that the choice was between an unitary authority or the status quo but the latter isn't an option.

If the two-tier option is adopted as preferred by Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth councils then all the district councils will have to pool resources with the county council to make savings. I have a feeling that government, of whatever hue, will expect savings to be made equivalent to that to be expected from an unitary authority. If the expected savings from an enhanced two-tier system aren't made it could be bad news for us all.

The Bridgnorth vote has probably been influenced by the fact that they are about to sell off all their council stock and make a tidy sum that they aren't going to want to share around.

Ah....and Shrewsbury have £50 million in the bank as well. I think Oswestry and South Shropshire are cash-strapped. Do I see a pattern here?

Shrewsbury council support the enhanced two-tier approach which involves greater co-operation with the County Council. At a full council meeting on Tuesday, according to a council press release, resolutions included

"That a formal complaint be made to the Audit Commission after numerous complaints from the public on the following issues:

( a ) One-sided publicity from the County Council for the 'one council' case - which is contrary to the code
( b ) The attempt to influence the outcome of an online poll on the Radio Shropshire web site by instructing SCC employees how to override a security function and enable multiple voting
( c ) A posting on the county council blog stating that the poll had finished on the 19th of January, three days prior to the official closing date"

A fine way to foster greater co-operation....

This Unitary proposal saga has gone far too deep and has brought up a lot of mud which has been flung about between councils and their staff and councillors. I cannot believe it has got this far as it's not actually such a drastic proposal in the first place.

I have read recently that another £20,000 should be added to the £72,000 bill for running this ballot because there was extra money spent on consultant fees making a nice total of £92,000 spent (that we know of.)

Both councils and all involved should have given the unbiased facts and let the people who matter (the public) have an informed chance to decide on what happens without the need to push their own agenda's.

With all the arguing and back-biting between councils and councillors over this, it has turned into something more at home on big brother than in the offices of our local leaders. It really affirms your faith in democracy doesn't it?

In the end, councillors and senior management at the councils wanted to keep their jobs. Shameful self-interest fort building.

To be expected, I suppose. Some, though not all, of our councillors do seem have an ego problem.

The friction between the county council and shrewsbury council is appalling given that the former are supporting the case for enhanced co-operation with the latter.

Just how will a complaint to the Audit Commision from Shrewsbury council against the county council help relations? If anything, I'd have thought that it is an extremely negative piece of evidence against an enhanced two-tier system.

Inevitable though - it's a situation that has been sent at countless 'cost cutting' operations in the past, both in the public and private sectors. People do have mortgages to pay, after all. Not sure what the solution would be.

Hi folks,

Well Chris reckons (and I know he knows) that only about £92K that we know about has so far been spent on a totally pointless exercise. As Chris says why weren't we given a clear unbiased resume of the issues when we were polled!

It's only our money and if this pretense at a democratic poll was required by National Government it should have been conducted in a fairer and more useful manner. As it is a Shropshire poll, I guess that the costs for the Poll will come from the SCC budget. But, that doesn't entitle the SCC to try and highjack the whole thing. Who was the Councilor in the SCC who emailed everyone in County Hall with details of how to rig the BBC Shropshire Straw Poll?

Having, been ill-informed for the purposes of voting in the Postal Poll; I still feel that Unitary makes more sense....potentially!

The very fact that in Shrewsbury we had the two factions of local government squabbling amongst themselves is ludicrous.

This isn't an SABC or SCC thing. Duplication of services can't be a good thing.

This is about the local people of Shropshire being served effectively and efficiently in a cost-effective manner.

When the changes are made, I hope that the opportunity is taken to really sort it out properly from the grassroots up.

I can't see how Shropshire and Telford, each with it's own Unitary body, could work.

It will all be imposed upon us in due time.....

John.

the local council only has until 2009 to finish selling everything off ;)

s.g.d.

From what I've read, they are well on target!

The outcome was predictable. The options were to create an unitary authority or a two-tier approach with the district councils working with the county council to produce the same cost savings and efficiency as an unitary could achieve. The status quo was not an option. Instead of the district councils opposed to unitary coming up with a costed plan for enhanced two-tier working, Shrewsbury council have complained to the Audit Commission about the County Council's conduct and persued a judicial review case against the Government. Little wonder that the Minister has concluded that unitary is the only option.

Be interesting to have a Town Council though. Didnt know much about SABC but NSDC seem to spend more time producing glossy expensive literature on how good they are, big foot prints and big heads I feel.

I think it is questionable funding this judicial review. When you look on the SABC 'Robin's Blog' the case for this review is very weak.

Can you share this with everybody squeezer? Who or what the hell is Robins blog'? :huh:

Lemon Squeezer has been reading Robin's Blog like me, Andy.

Robin Hooper is the Chief Executive at Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council and his personal blog can be accessed from the council's home page

http://www.shrewsbury.gov.uk

Plenty of gen there and some interesting debate if you have a couple of hours to spare.

Just for the record though, it is stated that two-thirds of residents voted to "retain both of their excellent councils". Err, no. Only about a third could be bothered to express an opinion and it was two-thirds of those who wanted to retain things.

I have my doubts as to how well a unitary authority would work but there doesn't seem to have been a convincing case presented to oppose it. :(

As Andy has been a member of SABC's forum for several months, toc, I find it quite inconceivable that he has failed to notice the sycophantic 'Robin's Blog'!

I also get annoyed with the exaggerated claim that the two tier system has been chosen by the citizens of Shrewsbury. The poll was another waste of money IMHO.

No offence Squeezer it doesnt really affect me cos I dont live in Salop. I do use the sites messageboards only! I rest my case on your foot!