Say 'No' to Yartoft
30th January 2008
The Government's review of the organisation of local government in Suffolk and Norfolk will only result in valuable time and money being spent on a pointless reorganisation that will fail to deliver improved services.
The Government's promotion of Yartoft, a new council straddling the Suffolk and Norfolk border serving both Waveney and Yarmouth, would only result in creating a huge upheaval and the weakening of centuries-old local identities. The process of reorganisation would also have a serious impact on the wider quality of life enjoyed by Waveney residents.
Such a unitary authority would require a new budget structure, the redistribution of assets and property, the relocation and redeployment of staff and the possible renegotiation of existing contracts. It is an unnecessary undertaking that will distract councils from their prime role: representing the people of Waveney.
Furthermore, recent independent research shows the bill for such a reorganisation could amount to £345 for each Council Tax paying household.
Peter Aldous says, “People are fed up with the Labour Government reviewing organisations and structures to satisfy their own particular whims and fancies without any regard for what local people want.
He continues, “Suffolk County Council and Waveney District Council should be left to get on with the job of serving the people of Waveney. Moreover, being Suffolk born and bred I do not want to see Waveney swallowed up into Norfolk”.
