Between a rock and a hard place?

COUNCILLORS CLASH OVER MERITS OF ALIGNING EAST CAMBS WITH CAMBRIDGE OR PETERBOROUGH IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANISATION

- By HANNAH BROWN Local democracy reporter

COUNCILLORS clashed this week over whether East Cambridgeshire should create a new unitary council with Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.

While some highlighted the links the district has with the city, others raised fears the area could end up getting “overlooked”.

Under local government reorganisation, the councils in Cambridgeshire could cease to exist by 2028. Instead they could be replaced by new unitary authorities that would provide all the services currently split between district councils and Cambridgeshire County Council.

The Government asked all the councils in the area to come up with a new council structure, in the hope that fewer larger councils would help save money. Three main options for what these new councils could look like have been put forward so far.

The first option (proposal A) could see two unitary councils created, one including Peterborough, Huntingdonshire and Fenland, and the other including Cambridge, East Cambridgeshire and South Cambridgeshire.

The second option (proposal B) could also see two unitary councils created, one including Peterborough, East Cambridgeshire, Fenland and Huntingdonshire, and the other including Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.

The third option put forward (proposal C) could see two unitary councils created, one including Peterborough, East Cambridgeshire and Fenland, and the other including Cambridge, Huntingdonshire and South Cambridgeshire.

A fourth option to create three unitary councils is being developed by Peterborough City Council.