Chamber calls for three council county

 The North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce (NWLCC) has urged the government to approve three unitary authorities for the county – saying it is what business wants and needs.

Hundreds of businesses have backed the proposal following a consultation exercise sparked by the impending re-organisation of local government in Lancashire.

The government’s drive to streamline local government aims to replace two-tier council structures with fewer, larger unitary authorities, each serving around 500,000 residents by April 2028.

The leaders of Lancashire’s 15 councils are currently weighing up options that range from two to five unitary authorities. They have until the end of November to submit their proposals to government.

The Preston headquartered chamber’s formal position is that Lancashire should be governed by three unitary authorities.

Its plan would see Fylde, Wyre, Blackpool and Lancaster come together. Preston, Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire would make up the second local authority with the councils of east Lancashire combining for the third council area.

The chamber is now urging the government to “heed the voice of business in the county” and support its proposals. And it has written to local government secretary Steven Reed setting out its case.

It has told him: “Our members consider that establishing three unitary authorities would help reach the critical mass requested by the government, enabling more efficient governance, better resource allocation, and stronger economic development strategies.”

The letter adds: “Lancashire requires clarity, accountability and an efficient local government structure which strengthens our competitiveness.”

Babs Murphy, chief executive of the chamber, said: “Business has spoken, and the chamber has listened. As a voice of business, we have listened to members concerns and recommendations for all proposals and believe three unitary authorities would be the best for the county.

“A three unitary authority falls within the government’s population guidelines, connects existing councils with similar economic identities and could deliver better services to businesses and residents.

“Having a coastal, central and eastern local authority keeps local identity intact and promotes business collaboration, as well as reducing service duplication as some of these district councils already work together.

“The county requires clarity, accountability and an efficient local government structure which will strengthen our competitiveness. We urge the government to consider the chamber’s proposal to ensure the restructure benefits the entire community and promotes social and economic growth for the county.”

Leaders of the Preston Partnership have thrown their support behind proposals to create a new unitary authority bringing together Preston, Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire.

South Ribble Council has revealed it prefers a model that would see four councils being created.

Its plan would see the areas of South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancashire covered under a new unitary council, working alongside three other newly established unitary authorities.

Burnley and Pendle councils are developing proposals for five unitary authorities across Lancashire and are jointly preparing a business case.

Both councils say they believe that smaller unitary councils would be more responsive to local needs, closer to residents, and better placed to deliver high-quality services.

Meanwhile, Blackburn with Darwen says that it supports all options which will create an east Lancashire wide unitary council.

In a statement it said: “We believe this makes the most sense for our part of the county. It’s a natural economic area, covers a sensible geography, and brings together communities that are similar in character and needs and history. We want to see a council which is large enough to deliver efficiently whilst remaining close to our communities to understand and meet local needs.”

In the north of the county, Lancaster Council has yet to reveal the proposals it will put forward to the government.

Ribble Valley Council leader Simon Hore said: “The council believes that our residents are best served by the current system of local government in Lancashire, but they can be assured that we will be fighting for the best outcome for the borough if reorganisation goes ahead.”

Fylde Council has expressed its opposition to the reorganisation. Its leader Karen Buckley said: “We believe the current system works well for Fylde, keeping services close to our communities and preserving our strong local identity.

“We deliver quality services, demonstrated year on year by residents’ positive satisfaction ratings; we maintain our parks to award winning standards; we organise much loved significant events to boost our towns, while enhancing and protecting what matters most to people. All of this is achieved debt free because of our strong financial management.”