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New Buckinghamshire Council begins operations
The new unitary Buckinghamshire Council had come into existence, replacing the existing local councils of Aylesbury Vale District Council, Buckinghamshire County Council, Chiltern District Council, South Bucks District Council and Wycombe District Council.
In November 2018, the then Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government James Brokenshire announced a single unitary authority for Buckinghamshire, overseen by the Shadow Authority.
Coming into existence on 1 April 2020, the new unitary council offers an exciting new beginning for Buckinghamshire and positive change for residents, communities and businesses across the county. It means that all five previous county and district councils in Buckinghamshire ceased to exist on 31 March 2020. There will be 147 elected members on the new Buckinghamshire Council, working out as three per current county ward.
It is hoped that the new council will be more efficient and save money for taxpayers, helping to create a simpler, stronger and better value county-wide authority.
The chief executive of the new council has been named as Rachael Shimmin, who has been chief executive of Buckinghamshire County Council since September 2016.
Simon Edwards, director of the County Councils Network, said: “The formation of a new unitary council in Buckinghamshire is a historic day for the county. The new council comes into being in unique circumstances, with all efforts geared towards tackling the Coronavirus outbreak.
“The fact that a new local authority has been able to be created in such a challenging period is testament to the close collaboration between the four district councils and the county council, working as one for Buckinghamshire. We have assisted the formation of the new council, drawing on the experience of our existing unitary members and we look forward to continuing this support as the County Councils Network’s newest member.”
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