ONCE again the prospect of a unitary authority for Bucks has reared its head, but this time thanks to a different voice in the county, one our councils would do well not to ignore – that of our business community.

So far Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) has launched an appeal to ‘crowdfund’ an independent study into the pros and cons of shifting from a two-tier system (county and district councils) to unitary (see p6).

It’s an interesting move, and one that needs to connect with the business community and capture its imagination if it is to succeed. BBF MD Philippa Batting thinks it will, with many members of the organisation already voicing concerns over the two-tier structure of local government Bucks currently has.

For years the BFP has banged the drum for a unitary authority. Our current two-tier system is undeniably muddled and confusing for residents (just look at the grass cutting story on page 13 as an example).

Time and again we are called by residents who are unsure who they should be contacting over different services (Bucks County Council?

Or Wycombe District? How about Chiltern District? And then there’s South Bucks District?) and often unsure of who exactly they have just called over a query they may have.

And that is before you even get to the heart of the matter – the cost-saving implications. They range from £5m to £25m, with a report back in 2006 putting the saving at a whopping £35m.

The back-and-forth over unitaries has been going on for years, with some councillors keen for such a move to happen, others less so. In the meantime there have been half-measures – the aborted Pathfinder scheme that was to see some county and district services being shared, but just seemed to waste £1m instead.

Then there have been other attempts to share services in different ways – backroom staff between Chiltern and South Bucks, for instance – which seemed to have worked relatively smoothly.

Of course, there will be a short-term transition cost were any such move to go ahead – a relatively high one in all likelihood. And any such transition would also inevitably cost jobs. Again, backroom staff would likely be cut in the face of job duplication, not to mention senior management. And far fewer councillors would be needed.

None of these things should be taken lightly, of course. But finding efficiencies where possible is the nature of the business world these days so why should our local authorities be exempt if there is public money to be saved in the process?

This is all a bit pre-emptive, of course, and assumes that any such study will find cost-savings if commissioned. But at this point it is hard to believe that it won’t.

So we hope the business community and, indeed, any individuals who feel able to help fund this, will do. An objective study into this matter, unimpeded by anyone with vested interests in maintaining the status quo (or seeing it upended, for that matter) is exactly what is needed.

This is an issue that is not going to go away until it is properly addressed once and for all.