The first meeting of the shadow authority to create the new Buckinghamshire Council took place on this week at Adams Park.

The Shadow authority brings together the existing county and district councillors to oversee the creation of the new unitary authority.

It is made up with 236 council seats from across the five existing councils - Bucks county and Wycombe, South Bucks, Chiltern and Aylesbury Vale districts.

The councillors agreed to elect Marlow mayor Cllr Richard Scott as chairman of the shadow authority, with Cllr Peter Strachan as vice chairman.

The new constitution for the shadow authority was also agreed.

Cllr Scott said: “The first meeting of the shadow authority is a truly momentous occasion.

“Although I couldn’t attend in person I would like to thank members for supporting me in taking up this role and I look forward to us all working together to ensure the very best new council for our residents.”

Vice chairman Cllr Peter Strachan chaired the meeting and said: “Seeing all the councillors from across the five councils together for the first time brought to life what a huge opportunity this is for Buckinghamshire.

“It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm for what the future will bring for us all, but most importantly for our communities and I’m hugely honoured to be a part of it.

“There is a lot of work to do before April 1, 2020 to ensure key senior staff appointments are made and to set the budget for the new council. It is important we address both the opportunities and challenges we face together.”

During the meeting, the shadow authority also confirmed the membership of the new shadow executive, which will take decisions on plans to create the new council over the coming year.

Leader of Bucks County Council Martin Tett will lead the shadow executive.

Cllr Tett said: “This historic meeting is the start of momentous change, as the five current councils unite in their commitment to working together to create the brand new Buckinghamshire Council ready for 1 April 2020.

“It is going to be a challenging journey, but we will all be working hard to make it a smooth transition, reducing confusion and creating more joined-up services.”

Councillors were also consulted on the proposed interim appointments for the shadow authority:

• Interim Head of Paid Service: Rachael Shimmin, Chief Executive, Buckinghamshire County Council

• Interim Section 151 Officer: Richard Ambrose, Director of Finance and Procurement, Buckinghamshire County Council;

• Interim Monitoring Officer: Catherine Whitehead, Head of Democratic, Legal and Policy, Wycombe District Council

The next meeting of the shadow authority will take place in February 2020 which will decide the budget and council tax for the new council.