I HAVE long believed that the structures of local democracy in Bucks have not been entirely user friendly or good value. The county and district councils division of responsibilities often leave a lot to be desired and have demonstrably necessitated employing many more people than should be strictly necessary. Then there is the cost of five very well paid chief executives, instead of one. It has also always seemed hard to explain why my local village has a parish council but the town of High Wycombe itself does not. thereby significantly disenfranchising the town residents by comparison with the outlying villages and hamlets.

Now the lumbering wheels of politics have ground on to the point that common sense is prevailing and Local Government Minister, the appropriately named James Brokenshire, has given the go-ahead for a Bucks unitary authority that will assume responsibility for all the activities formerly undertaken by both county and the four district councils. The district councillors, whose numbers are predicted to be reduced from 236 to 98, are protesting; but to paraphrase Mandy Rice Davies (who knew all about turkeys and Christmas), ‘Well they would, wouldn’t they?’

It will certainly make it easier for us voters to know who is responsible for what.

When I was chairman of the CCTV Lay Committee in Wycombe, we spent well over a year trying to organise the installation of street signs at access points to the area announcing that the town was protected by cameras 24/7. District said county was responsible; county said district should do it. Then they both said it had to be approved by The Department of Transport. I eventually spoke to the head of the relevant department, (who answered the phone when it went straight through to him in error) who told me that it wasn’t a traffic related sign and therefore not their concern. and the district council should know that.

We cannot have been the only people trying to get things done that have fallen foul of the indrawn breath and ‘not our job’ mate response. When only one body is responsible, that must be less possible, mustn’t it?

Add to this the £18m projected savings on expenditure and salaries alone, then we should be in line for greatly reduced community charge, or rates or whatever they are called these days. or greatly improved roads and local services.

We should be, but is anyone holding their breath?