Purpose

To agree the County Council’s position on the draft Gloucestershire Structural Changes Order. The Government has invited Gloucestershire councils to make representations, which the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government will consider when deciding the final content of the Order.

Decision

Cllr Lisa Spivey asked Cabinet to agree the County Council’s position on matters that will be determined by the Gloucestershire Structural Changes Order (SCO). The Government has invited Gloucestershire councils to make representations, which the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government will consider when deciding the final content of the Order.

Having considered all of the information, Cabinet noted the report and

RESOLVED to:

1. Agree the responses set out in Appendices 1, 2 and 3 as the basis for Gloucestershire County Council’s representations to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding the content of the Gloucestershire Structural Change(s) Order.
   
   
   
2. Agree to state a preference for a ‘new council’ model, should the Secretary of State choose to implement the single unitary authority model.
   
   
   
3. Delegate authority to the Chief Executive to amend and finalise those representations in consultation with the Leader of the Council and to submit the Council’s representations (either on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council, or as a joint response with Gloucestershire’s District Councils) to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government by 16 June.