If I asked you to pay more Council Tax for the same services, I’m pretty sure I know what you would say. And I can also guess what you would say if I then told you that actually, you were going to get less despite paying more.

This is what I find myself thinking about as I look at some of the proposals for changing the way your local Council services are delivered. Don’t get me wrong – I can see lots of ways we could make things better by joining together our District and County Council services in Unitary Councils. No confusion over who does what for a start. Smoother systems for solving problems and greater efficiency meaning we can do more for less cost. What’s not to like?

Well, as a Wymondham Councillor, there’s one big problem. All the District Councils that don’t represent Wymondham think it’s a great idea to create three new Councils. This plan sees our town added to a small Norwich-centric Unitary. I’m not going to speculate on why they think this, but I don’t understand why they are going against the evidence in an independent report from Deloitte (that they commissioned themselves), which clearly shows this is not the best answer to the two things I think matter most: how to keep costs down and how to deliver good services.

Under their proposals, you would very likely end up paying more for less. Norfolk County Council already struggles to find the money it needs to meet its legal obligations to older people and children who need additional services. Once we move to Unitary Councils, those financial pressures are going to affect the services that District Councils currently deliver. My worry is that Norwich has high levels of need, and if it’s set up as a small, city-focused Unitary, including Wymondham, it won’t be able to afford to deliver the services we get now from South Norfolk District Council. Unless it puts our Council Tax up.

So, do I have a better idea? Yes.

It’s something that officers and Councillors at South Norfolk have been working on since we first saw the proposals to create new Unitary Councils. Our idea is to create just two new Councils. For Wymondham, this would mean being part of a larger Unitary rather than becoming part of Norwich. The original independent report from Deloitte suggested that this gives the best answers for South Norfolk residents, and the work we have done since confirms this. Our plan is focused sharply on getting the best for the people who live in South Norfolk. After all, that’s our job as South Norfolk Councillors. In my view, though, it’s also best for the people of Norwich. They will be part of something bigger and better than a small city-focused Council that struggles to pay its way.

In the end, this decision will be taken by national government, and I will be pushing for our idea of two Unitaries to be the chosen option. You can find more detail about the idea on the South Norfolk Council website. As ever, I would welcome your views which you can send to me at michael.rosen@southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk.