December Council Meeting

Two issues of note were discussed at today’s Full Council meeting.
Firstly it was decided to reject Sudbury’s offer to take over the management of Babergh’s car parks, not only in Sudbury’s but also in Hadleigh and Lavenham. This offer would have resolved the vexed issue of car parking charges at a stroke! I can understand the Town Council’s wish to control the town’s car parks, and even to extend their influence beyond Sudbury. However, I was swayed by the argument that it is hardly fair for the citizens of Sudbury to have to suffer a significant increase in precept so that people from the surrounding area can park for nothing!
The second main issue was related to what seems to be the never ending saga, Local Government Review. Once again we were being asked to comment on another set of proposalsfrom the Boundary Committee.
When colours are nailed firmly to a mast then it is hard to pull them down again, so even in the face of new information, many Members found it hard to change their minds. Most of them remain convinced that two unitaries for Suffolk are better than one. The Boundary Committee itself however has, as mentioned recently on the blog, changed ITS mind, and now prefers the option of one unitary council for the whole of the County.
I, who have for some time believed that one unitary council for the whole of Suffolk would be the best option, expressed delight that the Boundary Committee now agrees with me (and at least two of the four Parish Councils in Waldingfield Ward).
I am even more convinced of the logic of ‘One Suffolk’ now that parts of Waveney are not to be included in Norfolk. The inclusion of a deprived urban area such as Lowestoft in a so called Suffolk Rural Unitary makes me even more concerned about the economic robustness and operational logic of such a council. Unlike other Members I am not particularly about the ‘democratic deficit’ that it is believed will occur if there are only 80 to 100 elected councillors, rather than about 400 as is the case now. It is a great opportunity for real power to be devolved down to communities, who are often best placed to know what is good for them.
The debate went on for some time with those of us in favour of One Suffolk putting up a reasonable show, but in the end the vast majority preferred to ‘be consistent’ and continue to support the division of Suffolk into two parts.
The argument may yet prove to be academic since, even if there are no further challenges from disaffected District councils in Norfolk and Suffolk, an early general election may well see the collapse of the Government’s plans. This, in my view, would be a pity. I suspect that a Conservative Government will, despite its current declared stance, ultimately come to the conclusion that a unitary system is the right one for Suffolk, and indeed for the country as a whole. However, even more time will have been wasted and uncertainty prolonged.