North Petherton Town Council unanimously agreed, this week, to back the district council led plans for two new unitary authorities for Somerset. The “Stronger Somerset” proposals have been put forward in response to the bid by the County Council to replace the present two tier system of local government in the county with a single unitary council.
Town Mayor, Cllr Alan Bradford said:“Whilst we wonder about the wisdom of pursuing local government reform at this time of crisis, we believe that having just one principal authority covering the whole of Somerset would not really be local government at all. As Members of a truly local council, we understand the vital importance of being close to the community. The more centralised and remote you become, the less you are able to respond effectively to people’s needs.”