Two-council plan for county gets go-ahead
BBCA divisive plan to split Warwickshire in two has been approved by the government.
The plans mean that none of the existing six councils in the county will remain by 2028 and will be replaced by two larger single-tier authorities – one covering the north and the other the south.
Council staff have been briefed on the decision, which is part of the government's plans to give local areas more decision-making powers via a process called devolution.
It will see one new council in the areas covered by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council and Rugby Borough Council.
The areas covered by Stratford District Council and Warwick District Council will form the other.
In a joint statement commenting on the government's decision, the six councils said it recognised that authorities across the county had held different views on the "best structure" for local government.
"All six councils have a history of working well together and have been praised by government for being an area where cooperation is high," it added.
"We remain committed to continuing to work together constructively and responsibly as we move into the next stage of this process."
The statement added the councils' shared priority was to ensure their residents, businesses and communities continued to receive the services they relied upon and that the move to create two unitary councils was managed carefully.
"There is now important work to do. We will work closely with government, partners, our staff and councillors to support a smooth transition and to help shape the best possible future for local services," it added.
What happens now?
As long as the Labour government sticks to its timetable, this year's elections in Rugby and Nuneaton and Bedworth will have been the last under the county's existing structure.
Elections for the newly formed councils are due to be held in 2027.
At that point shadow operations will swing into action until the new authorities takes full control in 2028, when the existing councils will be wound up.
An internal email to Warwickshire County Council councillors from Chief Executive Monica Fogarty, seen by the BBC, said: "It is important to note there will be no immediate changes to the way we work or the services we provide to our residents, businesses and communities - that remains our top priority."
What will it mean for residents?
Once the new authorities are up and running, services which local residents rely on will be delivered by their new local council.
But instead of having a lower-level council responsible for things like waste collection, planning applications and street cleaning – they would be delivered by the new council.
The replacement will also take over things currently delivered by Warwickshire County Council such as education, transport and libraries.
The most obvious changes will be the new council branding starting to appear on council vehicles, signage and council tax bills.
Council tax bills could also go up or down under the new structure, depending on where people live and how the new councils decide to calculate them.
What did the existing councils want?
At the time consultation was taking place last year, Liberal Democrat-controlled Stratford, Green-led Warwick, Tory-run North Warwickshire and Labour-led Nuneaton and Bedworth all expressed a preference for splitting the county in two authorities.
Reform-led Warwickshire County Council and Labour-led Rugby Borough Council preferred the option of a single council.
The arguments for two authorities revolved around whether smaller councils could meet local people's needs more effectively and fears over a loss of local identity.
Those pushing for a single authority spoke about being able to work more efficiently and reduced bureaucracy.
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