COUNCIL leaders in Somerset have responded to two blueprints for the county’s future governance which would involve more existing councils being included in any future merger.

Somerset County Council is currently in discussions with the county’s five district and borough councils – Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton Deane and West Somerset – about the prospect of creating a unitary authority to replace all six bodies by 2021.

Wells MP James Heappey and the leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) have also waded into the debate, putting across their preferred models which would involve both BANES and North Somerset Council.

The six leaders involved in the Somerset unitary discussions have said that they would be “open to considering” the involvement of these two councils in these discussions, but it was too soon to say what may result from it.

Mr Heappey, who has represented the Wells constituency since 2015, laid out his ideas in a letter published in the Western Daily Press.

He said that BANES and North Somerset Council should be factored into the unitary discussions, with the best possible outcome being the creation of three new unitary authorities to cover the county as it was before the local government reforms of the mid-1970s.

Under Mr Heappey’s proposals, Sedgemoor would merge with North Somerset, Mendip would join forces with BANES and South Somerset would throw its hat in with Taunton Deane and West Somerset.

Taunton Deane and West Somerset are already not long for this world; whatever happens, they will be replaced by the new Somerset West and Taunton Council in April 2019.

Mr Heappey said: “There’s real merit in this for all sorts of reasons, but the main attraction to me is that this division reflects the way that the Somerset economy and many of our public services really work.

“I serve as the MP for communities along three quarters of Somerset’s northern border and I know that thousands of my constituents have chosen to live in Somerset but they work in Bath and Bristol.

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“The reality is that other parts of the county feel the pull of Bristol and Bath much less. There are fewer commuters, fewer businesses connected to those economies and less use of their public services too.

“It makes sense for the southern part of the county to form a unitary authority that more neatly meets the needs of Yeovil, Taunton and the surrounding areas.”

BANES leader Tim Warren has applauded Mr Heappey’s vision for Somerset, stating that becoming part of a larger Somerset authority would be “too big and unruly”, and he would never agree to Bath being “swallowed up”.

He said: “BANES is one of the smaller unitaries. Being larger would make us more sustainable. We can survive as we are, but if it improves things for everyone it’s worth considering.

“One option touted by Mr Heappey was one where Mendip joins Bath and North East Somerset. That’s something I would be interested in pursuing.

“We have nothing to do with Minehead but we have a lot in common with Wells, and I represent the Mendip ward.”

In a joint statement, the leaders of all six Somerset councils said that they would be open to including BANES and North Somerset being a part of formal discussions.

But they stressed that no concrete plans for multiple unitaries or even a ‘mega-unitary’ of all eight councils were being discussed at this early stage.

The leaders said: “We all recognise the need to look at how public services are delivered and will review the arrangements in Somerset to determine the best way forward. We are working together and working constructively for the benefit of tax payers.

“Any decisions will be based on a sound business case and what is in the best interests of the communities of Somerset. We will be open and transparent with our staff, members, unions and our residents throughout the process.

“At this stage we cannot give any more detail about the process or time-scales but these will become clearer as time goes on.

“If other authorities are interested in being part of the discussion, we will, of course, be open to considering this.”