THE Government has released its initial feedback on Suffolk's devolution proposals — but what's next?

Suffolk's latest devolution milestone was reached on Friday after the Government released its initial response in a letter addressed to the county, district and borough councils.

The letter addressed several points included in the interim local government reorganisation plans submitted by Suffolk's local authorities in March.

Suffolk County Council proposed replacing all councils with a single unitary authority, while the districts and borough decided two or three unitaries would be a better option.

The key issue, which the Government's letter highlights, is which model will deliver the most savings while keeping decision-making local.

On the one hand, the county council believes as much as £104 million can be saved over five years if a single unitary authority model is adopted, money which can be reinvested into public services.

Cllr Richard Rout, the county council's devolution lead, said two unitary authorities would only deliver £12 million in savings over five years, while a three-unitary model would cost an additional £52m instead.

He said: "But this isn't just about money, it's about people too. A single council will absolutely be able to reflect and serve the whole of Suffolk, rural and urban, and our plans will clearly show how local priorities and residents' voices can and will be central to decision-making."

The Government has previously said it had a preference for unitary authorities to represent at least 500,000 people, but said in the letter this principle was a guide rather than a target, with exceptions allowed where they made sense.

On the other hand, the district and borough councils warned na single council would be too remote and would not allow for local communities to be heard.

A joint statement read: "Multiple unitaries are vital in order to keep councils truly local to the people they serve and to meet the differing needs and aspirations of our county's diverse communities.

"Providing a locally based unitary authority big enough to deliver but small enough to care."

With the final business cases to be submitted to the Government in September, councils must now prove how they will make the savings they initially identified in their interim plans.

Similarly, they will have to include details on the reasoning and impacts of redrawing certain boundaries, as well as breaking up crucial services such as social care, SEND, and homelessness.

The Government's letter revealed £7.6 million in funding will be spread across the 21 local areas to allow for the final proposals to be put forward, but transition costs will need to be covered by councils and their existing budgets.