District Councils issue statement regarding Government decision to create Unitary Council in Buckinghamshire

The four District Councils in Buckinghamshire have issued a joint statement following the decision by the Government to create a Unitary Council for Buckinghamshire.

The statement, issued on Thursday 1st November 2018, on behalf of Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe District Councils reads as follows :

‘We are disappointed that the Secretary of State, James Brokenshire, has announced today that he is supporting a new single unitary district council that will cover the whole of Buckinghamshire, excluding Milton Keynes.

The Secretary of State has previously stated there was a need to ensure broad consensus and we do not believe this has been achieved with the new single unitary district proposal.

All four district councils, as well as many key stakeholders, firmly believe that the two unitary authority approach, based on the two different economic geographies in Buckinghamshire, is the best option for protecting, delivering and transforming the services needed both now and in the future.

We will now be considering our position, seeking further advice and reviewing the options available to us.‘