Against the background of the £92 million budget cuts facing Warwickshire County Council, Liberal Democrats are calling for an all-party debate over how local government in the county could be reorganised to give greater value for money to hard pressed council tax payers while preserving vital public services.

As the Leader of Warwickshire County Council embarks on a round of conversations with the public over the savings that have to be made, Liberal Democrats say it is time that all political parties faced up to the opportunities which merging county and district/borough services could bring. Recent examples from across the country are showing that massive savings are already being achieved elsewhere.

Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, Leader of Warwickshire County Council Liberal Democrats, said:

“Following a high level meeting of Liberal Democrats from across the County, I have written to the leaders of the other political groups, calling for the start of an open honest debate over how best to tackle the long term financial pressures facing local government across the County. This must include an objective review of how Warwickshire is governed in the future, and the benefits that could be obtained from moving to some form of unified local authority structure.”

Liberal Democrats hope that the other political groups will engage fully in this debate, which has been in the shadows for too long. The financial pressures facing the public sector are immense, and are not going to go away. The Chancellor of the Exchequer in recent statements has made it clear that austerity will be with us for years to come.  The County Council is also facing a review of its electoral boundaries before the next county elections in 2017.

We believe that the time is right, and that we have a duty to ask the question, and to open up the Unitary Authority question for debate.