Dear Dr Leggat

Thank you for your letter dated 9" August 2007 regarding the County Council’s intention to launch a judicial review of the Government’s decision to approve a unitary council based on Bedford Borough Council’s boundaries.

The County Council believes that the decision is fundamentally flawed. It will leave residents worse off and therefore we feel it is our legal right and duty to challenge a decision which we believe is irrational and potentially unlawful.

Throughout its process of considering prospective unitary proposals, the Government has made it clear that it would assess all potential bids against five set criteria. These are that the proposals should:

o provide strong, effective and accountable strategic leadership;
o deliver genuine opportunities for neighbourhood flexibility and empowerment;
o deliver value for money and equitable public services;
o be affordable; and
o be supported by a broad cross section of partners and stakeholders.

When the Government announced which unitary proposals it was minded to approve on 25" July, the Government indicated that the County Council’s proposal for a single county-wide unitary for Bedfordshire (excluding Luton) passed all the criteria it had set. However, the Government has chosen to prefer Bedford Borough’s bid despite recognising that this proposal is financially risky and provides no viable option for the rest of the county. The ‘Central Bedfordshire’ proposal supported by Mid Beds and South Beds District Councils has already been rejected by the Government as unworkable and it has been made clear that Bedford Borough’s proposal cannot be implemented until a workable solution has been found.

We believe that the proposal for a single county unitary is in the best interests of the people of Bedfordshire. It would provide the best opportunity to deliver significant efficiency savings whilst also safeguarding current levels of service delivery in what promises to be a very tight financial climate for local government in the next few years. In all, our proposal will save residents at least £130 million over five years. We feel these benefits are worth fighting for - that is why we are asking the courts to review the decision.

The County Council has spent approximately £250,000 on putting together the submissions for its single county unitary proposal. If the judicial review passes through all the possible legal stages, we expect there to be an additional cost of about £75,000. Together these costs account for less than 0.25% of the savings we would achieve in five years of a single, countywide council – savings that would be re-invested in better services and lower council tax. Whilst by no means insignificant, we feel this expense is justified given what is at stake.

Whatever happens with the County’s legal challenge, however, we want to ensure that we secure the best deal possible for Bedfordshire residents. So even whilst we proceed with the judicial review, we will also remain committed to working with the other local authorities in the county to effectively implement whatever model of local governance it is eventually decided should operate in Bedfordshire.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Madeline Russell Leader of the Council