Proposed merger of Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils
Separate to the government's proposal for an East Anglia Devolution is a more local move towards formally merging Suffolk Coastal District Council with Waveney District Council. If successful, this could result in the two district councils combining into a single "East Suffolk" district council, which the East Anglian Daily Times suggests would have the largest population of any district council in England.
Meeting on 14th March, the cabinets of both district councils asked for a business case to be drafted accordingly, as the next step in what they describe as "a lengthy democratic process which, if further progress is made, would include a full and formal public consultation". It is argued that the proposed merger would result in improved efficiency and in cost savings. A "Transformation report" presented at the joint cabinet meeting records that the two district councils "have been working increasingly closely together since first sharing a Chief Executive in 2008. This strong and successful partnership culminated most recently in the adoption of a new joint Business Plan, designed to integrate the councils' business planning approach for East Suffolk."
Although the two areas have much in common (such as the shared coastline and transport network), the East Anglian Daily Times questions whether the electorate will welcome a larger, more distant council, writing that the councils "will have to show that the proposal does have support of electors, and that its future provision of services will meet the needs of local people and that it reflects the identity of the community".