There have been a number of rumours recently that Local Government Reform in Suffolk is unlikely to happen unless, of course, Labour win the forthcoming election. Now we have confirmation that Local Government Minister, John Denham, (pictured here) will indeed need to act quickly if he hopes to change the face of local government in Suffolk in the very short term.
Intelligence received by Babergh this morning states that unless draft orders on the issue are laid before Parliament by February 10, next Wednesday, there will not be time to allow for debate and passage through both Houses. The whole process needs to be completed by the end of March when Parliament goes home for the Easter Break, otherwise it will fail because after that time only measures that enjoy party consensus will be enacted.
It is probable that a decision on whether or not to proceed with reorganisation plans will be announced as close as possible to next Wednesday, so watch this space at the beginning of next week.
