Ditching the current council system in Bucks in favour of a super authority will create more opportunities for small businesses in the county, according to a business owner.

Board member for Bucks Business First, Guy Lachlan, says an “overwhelming majority” of business in Bucks support a local government shake up in order to bring it in to the 21st century.

Members of Bucks County Council backed the business case for ‘Modernising Local Government in Buckinghamshire’ at a meeting of the full council on Thursday, September 22.

If the plans – which were unveiled last week - are given the green light, all councils in Bucks would be abolished and replaced with one single authority by 2019.

Mr Lachlan said: “A small business is very much like an individual. If you want to talk to a council it’s very difficult.

“I was talking to someone the other day who wanted to open a new restaurant but he couldn’t get any sense out of anybody.

“He didn’t know which council to go do so I pointed him towards the district council and he couldn’t get any sense out of them.

“Now there is someone who wants to expand his business, employ people in Bucks and provide a service to the people that live there and yet even with that they can’t get a sensible quick decision.”

BBF commissioned a study exploring alternative structures to local Government in the county three years ago, according to Mr Lachlan, which produced similar results to Bucks County Council’s business case.

Following the recent investigation by the county council, BBF ran a survey across its members who continue to support the potential change.

Mr Lachlan continued: “Our brief wasn’t to tell the councils what to do it was so say this is what we have done and over to you guys and at the time they pretty loudly said no.

“We got the message we know what we’re doing, leave it to us, and mind your own business sort of thing.

“Now the county has come up with their report which mirrors what we said three years ago.

“We concurrently with that went out to our members again to make sure they were still on side and the overwhelmingly majority of businesses in Bucks support the idea of local Government re-organisation.”

If the new system is agreed on “ambitious” town and parish councils will be given the opportunity to take on new responsibilities they have not tackled previously.

BBF feels this will provide more opportunities for businesses and create economic growth for the county as there will be clearer avenues for those looking to start a new business.

Leader of the county council, Cllr Martin Tett, admitted there will be a reduction in chief executives and senior managers across the council

And the number councillors are expected to be reduced from 250 to around 98 – if plans are given the go ahead.

The plans put forward to Bucks County Council are expected to be put forward to the Government this autumn.