Residents can expect easy-to-access and more local services once the five main authorities are scrapped in favour of a ‘super council’, according to a leading politician.

Today leader of Bucks County Council (BCC), Martin Tett, issued a video message to the public explaining what they can expect from a single-unitary authority for Buckinghamshire.

Yesterday Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government, James Brokenshire, gave the green light to county council plans.

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The news came as a blow to Wycombe, South Bucks, Chiltern and Aylesbury Vale district councils – who have campaigned for two unitary authorities for the county – one for the north and one for the south.

Cllr Tett said the new council will “draw on the heritage” of the county and district councils, and local contact points will be provided across Bucks to ensure residents can access services easily.

However he went on to assure residents “there will be no immediate big change” in the way they receive services.

He said: “[The unitary council] will deliver three specific benefits for residents. First of all, it will make it much simpler for you as residents to know exactly who to talk to, to sort out any problems you have, no longer being passed around from one council to another with finger pointing in different directions. It will also mean better value.

“We can look across all the services that these councils provide to eliminate waste and duplication. And also, we can plan to deliver more services much more locally, working particularly with our colleagues in town and parish councils to make sure we deliver things closer to residents, and make sure that you have a local contact point, you can go to if you actually want to talk to somebody about a particular problem you may have.”

Cllr Tett added the unitary authority “is the greatest thing to happen in the county for many, many years”, and said he will keep residents updated through regular video messages.

He continued: “I want to make sure that we build very much on the heritage and expertise of not just the old county council, but also our colleagues in the district councils when we build what I think will be a really exciting new council looking not just to our past and heritage, but very much to the future with the enormous growth we’re going to see in this county over the next ten to twenty years…

“We’re going to make sure that we plan any changes and we communicate them really effectively to you as residents and business so there are no big surprises.

“I am going to make sure that I keep you briefed though videos just like this one, as we work together to implement what I think is one of the greatest things to happen to this county in many many years.”