The last few weeks of December saw a number of announcements by the UK government which will have a profound effect on the administration of the Forest of Dean District Council and ultimately our residents, businesses, our local culture and precious natural environment.

The Devolution White Paper was issued by the government to consult on the future of local government in England. At present, Gloucestershire is a ‘two tier’ authority. Strategic decisions are taken at county level, while local decisions are taken at district level and neighbourhood decisions by our town and parish councils. The government intends to remove district councils so that all decisions are taken, and services delivered, by one ‘unitary authority’ with a minimum population size of 500,000. Gloucestershire has a population of around 652,400 and a shared county responsibility for several key public services, most notably the NHS, and the Police and Fire and Rescue services. Given its size, we anticipate the County of Gloucestershire will form a new single unitary authority.

The idea of a one-stop shop of council services might appeal, but there is an underlying concern that while officers will probably be retained by a successor authority, local democracy will not be best served by the removal of district councillors at local level. The existing two-tier system will be replaced by a more remote authority with less local democratic accountability. While there is at present no clarity on the exact form of political representation of the new unitary authority, there are inevitable concerns the new arrangements will bring about a so-called “democratic deficit”.

These figures illustrate the problem. Across the county we have 246 District Councillors, each of whom represent some 2700 residents. In the Forest of Dean we have 39 district councillors, looking after our population of 87,000, each councillor responsible for about 2,230 residents. Across the whole of

Gloucestershire just 53 county councillors each cover a far wider franchise of 12,300 residents. That’s nearly five times the number represented by our district councillors.

The Government also wants to combine adjacent Unitary Authorities to create combined mayoral authorities (CMA) with a minimum combined population of 1.5 million. This would ‘devolve’ regional decision making to an elected mayor with additional funds from government to set up their own combined authority, with a cabinet made up of elected councillors working alongside their officer teams.

We are concerned that being forced to form a unitary authority poses a real risk of losing our unique identity and the close contact our councillors have with their ‘patch’. We are working hard to prevent this, ensuring that the very things that make the Forest of Dean so very special are protected as we move into this new world of local government. We are looking to work on a cross-party basis to seek a clear and consistent voice on this matter that so profoundly affects the Forest and its residents. And we will ensure you are kept informed.

While the exact timing is still to be determined by the Government, the earliest the new authority will be formed is April 2027. In the meantime, we remain committed to delivering vital, high quality and cost-effective frontline public services for all residents in the Forest of Dean.