Telford & Wrekin Council sets trend for local government reform

This autumn Telford & Wrekin Council’s leader announced his intention to reduce the number of councilors serving on the Council by a quarter.

Telford & Wrekin Council plans to ask the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) to review its Borough wards which, if approved, would save up to £200,000 a year.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has announced a consultation which set out proposals for how the Commission could work with councils on major issues such as council size and boundary anomalies

Under Telford & Wrekin Council’s plans, councillor numbers would be cut from 54 to around 40. This would reduce member allowances by 25% and cut associated support costs and special responsibility allowances.

A major restructure is already underway at Telford & Wrekin Council which has seen the number of senior management posts halved over the last 18 months, with a saving of almost £2m a year.

If the Council’s proposals were to be approved, there would be 40 larger, single member wards which would provide better and clearer representation for the electorate whilst reducing costs amidst a climate of austerity. In Telford and Wrekin, this would result in councillors serving an electorate of around 3,000 as opposed to the current 2,200 voters.

Cllr Andrew Eade, Council Leader said: “As all councils reduce the size and cost of their staff, particularly at the top, it is surely a logical next step to reduce the number of councillors, too.

“It is vital that councillors, too, are not exempt from these savings, and we need to play our part in the structural changes required by a forward looking and modern authority which responds to its community.”

Local Government publication Municipal Journal highlighted Telford & Wrekin Council’s plans and the trend for other councils to follow suit with some even opting for complete mergers.

LGBCE chair, Max Caller, said in the MJ that there was an appetite among councils to look at radical solutions to the challenge of delivering excellent services at a time of dwindling resources and rising public expectations.

Telford & Wrekin Council’s radical plans to cut councillor numbers are also being echoed elsewhere in the country with Gloucestershire County Council announcing this week that its been given the go ahead to cut its members from 63 to 53. Other councils are also considering full scale mergers.

Cllr Eade added: “I am glad to see that Telford & Wrekin is once again at the forefront of local government thinking.”