One of Buckinghamshire’s largest employers has rejected the idea of a single unitary council and believes multiple unitary authorities could provide long-term savings and strengthen local decision making.

In September the Bucks Free Press reported the views of business hub Bucks Business First (BBF) which claimed an “overwhelming majority” of the county’s businesses supported a local government shake up, in order to bring it into the 21st century.

However the debate continues, as Peter Keen, chairman of bed manufacturer Hypnos, disagrees with BBF, claiming the four district councils have a proven track record of regeneration, and creating a single authority would erode local accountability and decision making.

If plans unveiled by Bucks County Council in September are given the green light all councils in Bucks would be abolished and replaced with one single “super" authority by 2019.

The four district council's made a decision to commission their own independent study by Deloitte into the future of local government in Bucks, which concluded a two or three tier authority model would save more money than just one.

Mr Keen said: “If something works in business, you don’t rip it up and start from scratch – but you can build on it and improve it.

“The district councils are well run and are doing an excellent job. They saw the warning signs and have not only made significant financial savings, they’ve boosted their revenue streams to cover the shortfall they will face from government funding cuts to allow them to continue to provide a good service to businesses and people.

“The district councils are in a good position to support businesses and they need greater powers, such as control of highways, to make things happen more quickly.

“The county council’s proposals for one council – probably based in Aylesbury – with various hubs, committees, and town and parish councils doing different things in different areas is not a ‘one stop shop’– it would be worse than the current situation.”

Deloitte’s report revealed that savings of more than £60m could be achieved by a two or three unitary model over a five year period and ruled that a two or three tier model would provide greater local accountability.

Mr Keen, whose firm employs 650 staff in Princes Risborough and Nottingham, said the voices of larger employers and local companies should be heard in their own right in the wider unitary debate.

He said: “There are organisations that claim to speak on behalf of businesses but the simple fact is they don’t speak for everyone.

“There are other options, potentially better options, on the table which should be considered seriously and I suspect other businesses would share my view on that.”

Bucks County Council's full business case was submitted to the Government in September and it is currently awaiting a decision from the Department of Communities and Local Government which is expected in January.