On 1st April 2020 Buckinghamshire Council which is a unitary council replaced Bucks County Council and Chiltern District Council, (and the other four other district councils in the county).
Residents should experience minimal changes in the delivery of their day-to-day services due to the creation of this new council, aside from some new branding on council vehicles and this new logo. As at May 2021 mosr services have either returned to normal or where the Covid-19 emergency continues to have impact on the way the Buckinghamshire Council operates up to date details can be found on their website.
www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk
Contacting the Council
There is a new single telephone number to contact Buckinghamshire Council. 0300 131 6000
All services, whether previously run by the County or the District Councils can be found on via the council website www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk and contact numbers are provided on the useful links page. (The telephone numbers of the former County and Chiltern District Council will continue in service and will connect you to the new council.)
Unitary Authority Councillors
Elections for members of the Buckinghamshire Council were due to take place on 7th May 2020 but were postponed until 6th May 2021 due to the Corvid–19 outbreak. Contact details can be found here.
After the May 2021 elections there will be 147 members, across the 49 wards, on the new Buckinghamshire Council. This works out as three members per ward. The ward covering our area is Chiltern Ridges. A boundary review will take place during the next 2-3 years which is likely to reduce the number of councillors after the subsequent election, to around 98, or two councillors per ward.
What should we expect from a single council for Buckinghamshire?
Information based on Bucks CC Unitary Council Business Case 2016
A single council arrangement provides a single point of enquiry for all council–managed services. It is intended that it will remove the frustrations of being bounced from one council to the other.
A single Buckinghamshire Council for all services should reduce the costs of providing services across the county, in comparison to that previously provided by five councils, one county and four district councils. It was projected in 2016 that each year £18m of council tax payers money would be taken out of managment overheads and invested in frontline services. Savings should initially come from reducing the number of senior managers followed by removing duplication and streamlining operations where the inherited overlaps in functions and between councils. Further effectiveness should come from investment in training and making appropriate use of the gains in productivity from new technologies. The majority of savings achieved should be reinvested to improve council frontline services, but could also offset some of the increases in council tax that might otherwise have occurred.
Bringing together the best of practice developed by district and county councils should enable an overall improvement in the delivery of services to residents and businesses across the whole county.
A single council for the whole of Buckinghamshire should ensure a stronger voice representing the needs of residents and businesses to partner organisations such as the NHS, the regional business and enterprise board and central government. Decisions should increasingly be seen to be taken locally, by unitary councillors representing local residents and business. There should also be greater influence and involvement by parish councils, businesses, community groups and residents.
Council Access Points
There will also be a county-wide network of Council Access Points where residents can obtain advice or raise issues with council staff. The two nearest to us will be at Chesham Library and Wendover Library. For more complex matters, such as Council Tax, Housing, Social Services and Planning, residents can make appointments at one of the five Council Access Plus Centres, based at the main Council Offices. The nearest to us is in Amersham (at the former District Council Offices).
Planning
Planning applications are dealt with on the same geographic basis as the former district authorities as will the investigation of planning infringements and execution of enforcement action. In our case applications will be considered by, and delegated decisions taken by, officers located at Amersham.
The East Buckinghamshire Planning Committee will take place (post Covid-19) at the former district offices in Amersham. Consideration of strategic developments will be handled by a seperate group of officer and planning committee located at Aylesbury.
Community Boards and devolution of services
There is a strong desire to devolve decision-making. Sixteen Community Boards started operating in July 2020. This Parish Council area will be covered by the Chesham and Villages Community Board. Issues ranging from any of Buckinghamshire Council’s services and specific local issues impacting on each particular community. The Board brings together Buckinghamshire Council Members, and representatives from Parish and Town Councils, Community organisations, Police, Fire and Heathcare Services. The aims of Community Boards are stated to be to:
- Enable Buckinghamshire Council councillors to take decisions on local issues, alongside key partners including parish councils and other community representatives.
- Empower Buckinghamshire Council councillors and communities to influence service design and delivery on local issues.
- Bring communities together with Buckinghamshire Council councillors and partners to find local solutions to local issues
- Allow town and parish councils take on the delivery of certain services which can more accuratly reflects the needs and wishes of residents.