• Contact
  • About
  • Authors
DONATE
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
  • Login
Central Bylines
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Brexit
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Transport
    • World
    Handshake with Europe

    Always with EU? Some realism about rejoining

    Protester

    Roe v Wade: men benefit from abortion rights too – and should speak about them more

    Bruce Kent at a Stop Trident rally

    Bruce Kent (1929 – 2022) – a personal view

    Factory

    Cutting emissions from construction and automotive materials by a third

    child labour

    World losing fight to end child labour

    Protester and injunction

    Jesus wept: meet Mark Coleman, retired vicar and Just Stop Oil activist

    Cotton mill

    Gardens of the revolution: Fashion revolution at the Chelsea flower show

    Flowers

    This writer’s life: a diary. Part 3: Garden blessings

    Vigil for Visas

    Vigil for Visas: delays in issuing visas to refugees from the war in Ukraine cause misery and fear

    Trending Tags

    • Johnson
    • Ukraine Conflict
    • Brexit
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Transport
    • World
  • Politics
    Power to the people

    Power to the people

    Patriotism in the UK

    Johnson isn’t a patriot, he’s a pariah

    Return to imperial measures

    The return of imperial measurements?

    Gun Control

    ‘Gun Free Zone’ (a ‘Found’ poem, extracted from Trump’s NRA conference speech in Houston, a few days later)

    Statue of a bishop

    Johnson can’t govern so he lies instead

    Fraud and government schemes

    Fraud and government schemes

    East midlands greatest hits

    East Midlands Conservative greatest hits, Spring 2022

    Voting

    Boris Johnson won’t remove himself – we all have to help

    Anti-rascism protest

    Anti-racism campaigners in Stoke-on-Trent demand change

    Trending Tags

    • Levelling up
  • Opinion
    Adobe stock licensed image by Jorm S

    Freedom and conservatism

    This work is from the National Child Labor Committee collection at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known copyright restrictions on the use of this work.

    Reflections on Boris Johnson’s ‘high skill, high wage future’ speech. Fashion – Fix up, look smart! 

    Adobe Stock licensed image by motortion

    Reflections on Boris Johnson’s ‘high skill, high wage future’ speech: the invisible half of the population

    Official United Kingdom Parliamentary photographs 2020 Tom Randall (politician) - CC-BY-3.0

    Why do people become MPs?

    Image by Central Bylines Team - derived from eligible Creative Commons sources

    Gaslighting an electorate – the moral bankruptcy of Edward Leigh 

    Adobe Stock licensed: Gibberish
by egokhan

    Lucy Allan talks gibberish

    Image by Number 10 for flickr licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

    Red wall voters to Johnson: in the name of God, go!

    Say no to the elections bill

    Say no to the Elections Bill

    Trending Tags

    • Lifestyle
      • All
      • Art
      • Books
      • Dance
      • Festivals
      • Fun & Games
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Poetry
      • Sport
      • Theatre
      • TV
      Image by author

      Anne Boleyn

      Portrait of William Byrd by The Trustees of the British Museum ©, licensed by CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

      William Byrd – “a Father of Musick”

      Waverly community garden

      Launch of Better Together Community Garden in Clayton

      Illustration by AB Wyze

      Here I’m sat

      Liverpool in Paris

      Gun Control

      ‘Gun Free Zone’ (a ‘Found’ poem, extracted from Trump’s NRA conference speech in Houston, a few days later)

      Bally Gill, David Morrissey, James Graham and Joanne Froggatt - sherwood cast

      Sherwood: what lies beneath?

      O'Rourke

      O’Rourke

      Fighter,Pilots,Cockpit,View,Under,Cloudy,Blue,Sky

      Top Gun, I feel the need…..

      Trending Tags

        • Dance
        • Food
        • Music
        • Poetry
        • Recipes
        • Sport
      • Business
        • All
        • Economy
        • Technology
        • Trade
        cloudy beer

        UK’s first cloudy beer

        Cost of living crisis

        Crisis? What crisis? The cost of living crisis and political responses

        Adobe Stock licensed image by hanohiki

        Bad news for Newark: 110 jobs lost as town’s top employer withdraws to the EU 

        Promotion image from Colleague Box website

        Pandemic start-up success story hampered by Brexit barriers

        Image licensed by Pixabay

        Information is power: its loss can be devastating

        Photo by Matt Bango on StockSnap

        Hassle in High Peak: Robert Largan’s solar farm shenanigans

        Adobe Stock licensed - image by blackday

        British Gas-lighting a nation: how energy companies are exploiting their customers with increased prices

        circular economy

        Reflections on Boris Johnson’s ‘high skill, high wage future’ speech

        Dog wrapped in a blanket, luckily he does not have to pay the bill.

        Fuel bills and service blunders as energy prices start to bite

        Trending Tags

        • Levelling up
        • Economy
        • Technology
      • Region
        • All
        • East Midlands
        • West Midlands
        Image by Number 10 used under CC2 - Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on 10 October 2019 to discuss the UK's Brexit proposals.

        The Northern Ireland protocol

        Waverly community garden

        Launch of Better Together Community Garden in Clayton

        Rent seeking

        A ‘high skill, high wage future’? Rentier capitalism: who owns the future?

        Liverpool in Paris

        Mark Serwotka

        Trades unionists demand action on the cost-of-living crisis at rally in Stoke-on-Trent

        East midlands greatest hits

        East Midlands Conservative greatest hits, Spring 2022

        Allens Cross Community Centre

        St Bart’s Pantry, open for business!

        women in power 2

        Women in power

        Vera Brittain plaque

        Midlands blue plaques part 1: Vera Brittain in Buxton

        Trending Tags

          • East Midlands
          • West Midlands
        • Events
        No Result
        View All Result
        • Home
        • News
          • All
          • Brexit
          • Education
          • Environment
          • Health
          • Transport
          • World
          Handshake with Europe

          Always with EU? Some realism about rejoining

          Protester

          Roe v Wade: men benefit from abortion rights too – and should speak about them more

          Bruce Kent at a Stop Trident rally

          Bruce Kent (1929 – 2022) – a personal view

          Factory

          Cutting emissions from construction and automotive materials by a third

          child labour

          World losing fight to end child labour

          Protester and injunction

          Jesus wept: meet Mark Coleman, retired vicar and Just Stop Oil activist

          Cotton mill

          Gardens of the revolution: Fashion revolution at the Chelsea flower show

          Flowers

          This writer’s life: a diary. Part 3: Garden blessings

          Vigil for Visas

          Vigil for Visas: delays in issuing visas to refugees from the war in Ukraine cause misery and fear

          Trending Tags

          • Johnson
          • Ukraine Conflict
          • Brexit
          • Education
          • Environment
          • Health
          • Transport
          • World
        • Politics
          Power to the people

          Power to the people

          Patriotism in the UK

          Johnson isn’t a patriot, he’s a pariah

          Return to imperial measures

          The return of imperial measurements?

          Gun Control

          ‘Gun Free Zone’ (a ‘Found’ poem, extracted from Trump’s NRA conference speech in Houston, a few days later)

          Statue of a bishop

          Johnson can’t govern so he lies instead

          Fraud and government schemes

          Fraud and government schemes

          East midlands greatest hits

          East Midlands Conservative greatest hits, Spring 2022

          Voting

          Boris Johnson won’t remove himself – we all have to help

          Anti-rascism protest

          Anti-racism campaigners in Stoke-on-Trent demand change

          Trending Tags

          • Levelling up
        • Opinion
          Adobe stock licensed image by Jorm S

          Freedom and conservatism

          This work is from the National Child Labor Committee collection at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known copyright restrictions on the use of this work.

          Reflections on Boris Johnson’s ‘high skill, high wage future’ speech. Fashion – Fix up, look smart! 

          Adobe Stock licensed image by motortion

          Reflections on Boris Johnson’s ‘high skill, high wage future’ speech: the invisible half of the population

          Official United Kingdom Parliamentary photographs 2020 Tom Randall (politician) - CC-BY-3.0

          Why do people become MPs?

          Image by Central Bylines Team - derived from eligible Creative Commons sources

          Gaslighting an electorate – the moral bankruptcy of Edward Leigh 

          Adobe Stock licensed: Gibberish
by egokhan

          Lucy Allan talks gibberish

          Image by Number 10 for flickr licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

          Red wall voters to Johnson: in the name of God, go!

          Say no to the elections bill

          Say no to the Elections Bill

          Trending Tags

          • Lifestyle
            • All
            • Art
            • Books
            • Dance
            • Festivals
            • Fun & Games
            • Movies
            • Music
            • Poetry
            • Sport
            • Theatre
            • TV
            Image by author

            Anne Boleyn

            Portrait of William Byrd by The Trustees of the British Museum ©, licensed by CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

            William Byrd – “a Father of Musick”

            Waverly community garden

            Launch of Better Together Community Garden in Clayton

            Illustration by AB Wyze

            Here I’m sat

            Liverpool in Paris

            Gun Control

            ‘Gun Free Zone’ (a ‘Found’ poem, extracted from Trump’s NRA conference speech in Houston, a few days later)

            Bally Gill, David Morrissey, James Graham and Joanne Froggatt - sherwood cast

            Sherwood: what lies beneath?

            O'Rourke

            O’Rourke

            Fighter,Pilots,Cockpit,View,Under,Cloudy,Blue,Sky

            Top Gun, I feel the need…..

            Trending Tags

              • Dance
              • Food
              • Music
              • Poetry
              • Recipes
              • Sport
            • Business
              • All
              • Economy
              • Technology
              • Trade
              cloudy beer

              UK’s first cloudy beer

              Cost of living crisis

              Crisis? What crisis? The cost of living crisis and political responses

              Adobe Stock licensed image by hanohiki

              Bad news for Newark: 110 jobs lost as town’s top employer withdraws to the EU 

              Promotion image from Colleague Box website

              Pandemic start-up success story hampered by Brexit barriers

              Image licensed by Pixabay

              Information is power: its loss can be devastating

              Photo by Matt Bango on StockSnap

              Hassle in High Peak: Robert Largan’s solar farm shenanigans

              Adobe Stock licensed - image by blackday

              British Gas-lighting a nation: how energy companies are exploiting their customers with increased prices

              circular economy

              Reflections on Boris Johnson’s ‘high skill, high wage future’ speech

              Dog wrapped in a blanket, luckily he does not have to pay the bill.

              Fuel bills and service blunders as energy prices start to bite

              Trending Tags

              • Levelling up
              • Economy
              • Technology
            • Region
              • All
              • East Midlands
              • West Midlands
              Image by Number 10 used under CC2 - Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on 10 October 2019 to discuss the UK's Brexit proposals.

              The Northern Ireland protocol

              Waverly community garden

              Launch of Better Together Community Garden in Clayton

              Rent seeking

              A ‘high skill, high wage future’? Rentier capitalism: who owns the future?

              Liverpool in Paris

              Mark Serwotka

              Trades unionists demand action on the cost-of-living crisis at rally in Stoke-on-Trent

              East midlands greatest hits

              East Midlands Conservative greatest hits, Spring 2022

              Allens Cross Community Centre

              St Bart’s Pantry, open for business!

              women in power 2

              Women in power

              Vera Brittain plaque

              Midlands blue plaques part 1: Vera Brittain in Buxton

              Trending Tags

                • East Midlands
                • West Midlands
              • Events
              No Result
              View All Result
              Central Bylines
              No Result
              View All Result
              Home Region West Midlands

              Council mergers – a lesson in confusion

              A power struggle over who controls vital services in Warwickshire has been ratcheted up by two councils pushing ahead with plans to merge.

              Trevor RusselbyTrevor Russel
              02-11-2021 09:07
              in West Midlands
              Warwickshire merge

              Image by Darby Browning from Pixabay

              Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
              ADVERTISEMENT

              A power struggle over who controls the delivery of vital services to nearly 600,000 people across Warwickshire has been ratcheted up a gear by two councils pushing ahead with plans to merge.

              Stratford and Warwick district councils want to create a new ‘super’ South Warwickshire authority. Longer term, they and three other authorities – Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth and North Warwickshire – want the county split into two unitary authorities to replace the county council. Warwickshire County Council (WCC), on the other hand, wants to abolish the five boroughs and districts and take over their services.

              Blue on Blue tug of war

              WCC runs education, social services, highways, fire and rescue. The borough and district councils are responsible for planning, leisure, waste collection and management. Any unitary authorities would assume control over all these services. A tug of war is on, with the county council at one end of the rope and the borough and district councils at the other.

              The battle is essentially Blue on Blue. WCC is Conservative-controlled, as are four of the five of district and borough councils. The fifth – Warwick district council – is run by the Tories with support from a residents’ group.

              The reforms are driven by the need to save money. WCC says a single authority will deliver £22 million in savings every year. Warwick and Stratford say their merger will produce annual savings of £4.6 million by 2025-26. Both sides claim that services will be delivered more efficiently by cutting out duplication.

              Local government shake up

              The county council has already sounded out the government about its plans but has been told to wait before ministers will consider them. Meanwhile, Stratford and Warwick district councils are trying to force the pace by announcing they aim to merge completely by 2024. They have begun sharing top jobs and say that even if the merger is vetoed, they will increasingly deliver services jointly and share a new HQ.

              WCC leader, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, insists that the county council has merely “begun a process” by publishing its proposals. However, the five other authorities accuse the county of attempting a “power grab” in an attempt to take over all the services they currently provide.

              The government plans a shake-up of local government across England. It has already announced its decisions for Cumbria (split into two unitary authorities), Somerset (one unitary) and North Yorkshire (one unitary) and has told WCC that in due course it “would value the opportunity” to examine the county’s proposals.

              The district and borough councils will need to submit a formal business case to the Department of Levelling Up, Communities and Housing, before parliament can approve the creation of a new authority. They are currently consulting on the proposed merger and are aiming to take a decision in December.

              Deloitte report – two unitary authorities could be best option

              A Deloitte report from September 2020, commissioned by all five district and borough councils within Warwickshire recommended creating two unitary authorities – north and south – for Warwickshire. The report found that creating two such councils would provide better value for money and higher quality services focused on their communities. It would also foster stronger local leadership, giving clearer lines of responsibility and accountability.

              Asked whether merging the two district councils could eventually lead to a new South Warwickshire unitary authority, Cllr Andrew Day, leader of Warwick district council, said: “it may do, but that’s not what we are trying to achieve at this time.” He added that the existing partnerships had made it clear to Warwick and Stratford district councils that: “there’s a lot that makes South Warwickshire distinctive to the rest of the country, and even to the north of the county.”

              Stratford district council leader Tony Jefferson agrees. He said: “We’ve got very closely intertwined economic geographies, and South Warwickshire makes an awful lot of sense as a place that people identify with. Combining enables us to make some savings and be more effective as an enlarged district council.”

              In a joint statement, the five leaders said: “This is about giving our residents great value, great quality local government services, fit for the next fifty years and best able to meet whatever challenges may lie ahead for our communities.

              “Although having one authority for the whole of the county may initially save the most money, the report makes it crystal clear the needs of Warwick and Stratford residents are very different to those in the north of the county and, therefore, creating two unitary authorities could well be the best option for all.”

              It’s all very messy

              One senior council official said: “It’s all very messy. Heaven knows what we will end up with. One unitary authority. Two unitary authorities. The status quo but with a new super district council covering half of Warwickshire’s population. Or no change whatsoever.”

              Tags: Levelling up
              ADVERTISEMENT
              Previous Post

              Why are the Tories letting raw sewage into our rivers and seas?

              Next Post

              Shropshire MP Owen Paterson faces suspension from Parliament

              Trevor Russel

              Trevor Russel

              Related Posts

              Image by Number 10 used under CC2 - Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on 10 October 2019 to discuss the UK's Brexit proposals.
              A Cotswold Diary

              The Northern Ireland protocol

              byAnn C Holland
              27 June 2022
              Waverly community garden
              Lifestyle

              Launch of Better Together Community Garden in Clayton

              byAdam Colclough
              24 June 2022
              A Cotswold Diary

              Liverpool in Paris

              byAnn C Holland
              17 June 2022
              Allens Cross Community Centre
              West Midlands

              St Bart’s Pantry, open for business!

              byAlex Toal
              3 June 2022
              women in power 2
              A Cotswold Diary

              Women in power

              byAnn C Holland
              26 May 2022
              Next Post
              Suspension

              Shropshire MP Owen Paterson faces suspension from Parliament

              Want to support us?

              Can you help Central Bylines to grow and become more sustainable with a regular donation, no matter how small?  

              DONATE

              Sign up to our newsletter

              If you would like to receive the Central Bylines regular newsletter, straight talking direct to your inbox, click the button below.

              NEWSLETTER

              LATEST

              Handshake with Europe

              Always with EU? Some realism about rejoining

              1 July 2022
              Protester

              Roe v Wade: men benefit from abortion rights too – and should speak about them more

              28 June 2022
              Power to the people

              Power to the people

              28 June 2022
              Image by Number 10 used under CC2 - Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on 10 October 2019 to discuss the UK's Brexit proposals.

              The Northern Ireland protocol

              27 June 2022

              MOST READ

              Handshake with Europe

              Always with EU? Some realism about rejoining

              1 July 2022
              Image by Number 10 used under CC2 - Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on 10 October 2019 to discuss the UK's Brexit proposals.

              The Northern Ireland protocol

              27 June 2022
              Protester

              Roe v Wade: men benefit from abortion rights too – and should speak about them more

              28 June 2022
              Official_portrait_of_Angela_Rayner_MP

              Angela Rayner has class, her attackers have none

              6 May 2022

              BROWSE BY TAGS

              Blue Plaques Climate change Community Cost of living crisis Covid Energy Farming Johnson Latest Levelling up My Little Town Rwanda Ukraine Conflict Voting Whistleblower
              Central Bylines

              Central Bylines is a regional online newspaper that supports citizen journalism. Our aim is to publish well-written, fact-based articles and opinion pieces on subjects that are of interest to people in Central England and beyond.



              Learn more about us

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Contact
              • About
              • Donate
              • Privacy policy
              • Bylines network
              • Back Editions
              • Shop

              © 2022 Central Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Home
              • News
                • Brexit
                • Education
                • Environment
                • Health
                • Transport
                • World
              • Politics
              • Back in the news
              • Opinion
              • Lifestyle
                • Dance
                • Food
                • Music
                • Poetry
                • Recipes
                • Sport
              • Business
                • Economy
                • Technology
                • Trade
              • Regional Events
              • Donate
              • Newsletter sign up
              • A Cotswold Diary
              • Authors
              • BYLINES NETWORK
              • Contact

              © 2022 Central Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              Welcome Back!

              Login to your account below

              Forgotten Password?

              Retrieve your password

              Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

              Log In
              X