'Get a grip': Harborough district council leader reacts as review into local government reorganisation plans announced
The leader of Harborough District Council has welcomed the government’s decision to ‘pause and review’ its plans to overhaul councils, including Leicestershire and the district, after fierce opposition.
Cllr Simon Whelband promised to “fight this land grab and stand up for our communities”.
The government unveiled plans to abolish two-tier councils and expand Leicester city’s boundary as part of devolution proposals.
This was met with outrage, with thousands signing a petition against the plans and residents protested outside of the Leicestershire County Hall.
Cllr Whelband said: "The strength of feeling against these plans cannot simply be ignored.
“But we also have to say plainly: this whole process has become a complete mess.
“Councils have spent months preparing for reorganisation on a timetable set by the Government. Huge amounts of officer time and significant public money have already been spent. Staff have had months of uncertainty about what reorganisation would mean for them and the councils they work for. Councils, councillors and communities have all been trying to plan for organisations we were told were about to disappear. “Now, following legal advice, the whole process has been paused and everything is back up in the air.”
Neil O’Brien, MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, and Alberto Costa MP, whose constituency covers Lutterworth, will take their petition against the proposals to Downing Street next week.
Cllr Whelband explained: “Nobody should mistake this pause for a change of heart from the Government. It has come in the face of legal challenge and fresh legal advice. The threat to Harborough has not gone away. “That means yet more uncertainty for council staff, who have already been through enough. They have worked incredibly hard throughout this process and deserve clarity about what happens next.”
For local council elections, these will go ahead in May 2027 – under the existing council boundaries. The council leader added: “For Harborough, our focus remains on delivering the services residents rely on. But politically, our campaign does not stop here. We will continue to fight for the future of Harborough district and fight any attempt to expand Leicester at the expense of our communities.
“The government now needs to get a grip, carry out this review quickly and properly, and end the uncertainty this process has created.”
South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa said: “This is now a costly mess which should never have been allowed to get this far. While I welcome the pause, I will not stop until city expansion is taken off the table entirely.
“My constituents do not want to be part of Leicester. More than 15,000 people in South Leicestershire have signed my petition against this landgrab. Across Leicestershire and Rutland, nearly 40,000 people have done the same. Ministers should listen to that evidence and make the right decision.
“A pause that brings the same takeover back in a few weeks is not good enough.”
Cllr Dan Harrison, leader of Leicestershire County Council, echoed Cllr Whelband’s message.
In a statement, he said: “The Government’s flawed plan to expand Leicester risks swallowing up dozens of towns and villages and we are clear that residents do not want it.
“That’s why I announced last week that I wanted to seek urgent clarification from the Secretary of State. I’m pleased the Government has heard our call.
“We stand firmly with our residents. I look forward to hearing more but let me be clear - we won’t be backing down.”
Leader of the opposition in Harborough District Council, Cllr Phil Knowles said: “Hopefully the weight of public opinion is making the government think again. But I mean this is basically a postponement, not a cancellation.
"But let's hope that they do see sense in all of this, and realise that the option that they've chosen for Leicestershire is completely the wrong option, and that the local councils are already doing a very good job.”
What the government said
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner MP (Lab) told parliament on Monday (September 7): “I want to be clear on how critical this is to me given how important (councils) are to our democracy and the services they provide for local people.
“There will always be a wide range of divergent views which means achieving perfect consensus will never be possible. I understand that feelings run high and people naturally have strong views but in different directions.
"In that context, in light of legal advice, I want to satisfy myself firstly that the right process is in place, that it is robust and of course complies with the law.
"Secondly, I want to fully test whether our proposals for local government reorganisation meet the priorities of the new administration and a new prime minister plus any additional considerations.”
Leicestershire will be part of the “full review” with Ms Rayner stating that she has asked council’s working towards go-live dates of April 2028 for the new authorities to “pause”.
"I do not take this lightly. I recognise the huge amount of work that has already gone into progressing reorganisation in each of these areas and I am very grateful for it,” she continued.
“I know many members of the house and many council leaders will have lots of questions about what this means for them and their communities.”
She stated it would be a “rapid review” and insisted that local elections in May 2027 “will go ahead on existing council boundaries”.