Court hears appeal over council shake-up
THE Court of Appeal heard today that the Boundary Committee for England had no statutory duty to consider plans to split Suffolk into three unitary authorities.
Graham Dines
THE Court of Appeal heard today that the Boundary Committee for England had no statutory duty to consider plans to split Suffolk into three unitary authorities.
The hearing centres on whether the BCE should have asked the public whether it wanted the county divided into West Suffolk, East Suffolk and Greater Ipswich.
In July Forest Heath, St Edmundsbury, Suffolk Coastal Councils supported by Waveney, won a judicial review saying that the boundary committee had been wrong not to look at their proposal for West Suffolk Unitary Council.
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The committee did put out to public consultation two draft alternative proposals for the structure of local government in Suffolk - a One Suffolk Super Unitary or splitting the county into two councils, Ipswich-Felixstowe and Greater Suffolk.
However in arguments before the appeal court today asking for the judicial review to be overturned, Richard Gordon QC said the committee was mandated to consider every single concept put forward for the structure of local government reorganisation in Suffolk.
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The Boundary Committee's appeal is expected to last two days and is being heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in London by the President of Queen's Bench Division Lord Justice May.
