Harborough council leader hits out at Government plans to scrap district and borough councils

Liberal Democrat leader Phil Knowles said the proposals, set out yesterday (Tuesday, December 17), did not “properly recognise the vital role district councils have played in delivering services to their communities”.

He said any work towards ending two-tier governance in areas such as Leicestershire needed to not be “rushed”. Any new arrangements for local authorities must also remain “sufficiently local and connected to their local areas”, Councillor Knowles added.

His comments came after the Labour Government said it was looking to “streamline” processes and save money by merging the duties of district and county councils, effectively scrapping the district authorities. A White Paper revealed the Government “expects” all two-tier areas to develop proposals for their mergers, adding that it would deliver the reorganisation “as quickly as possible”. Where needed, the Government said, it would use “legislation” to ensure progress was made.

In response to the proposals, Cllr Knowles said: “While I acknowledge that the Government has also signalled its intention to create simpler local government structures, I consider the White Paper does not properly recognise the vital role district councils have played in delivering services to their communities and businesses. It is therefore important that any work to consider the future size and shape of local government is not rushed, and that any new arrangements remain sufficiently local and connected to their local areas.

“I welcome the opportunity to explore this further with our local authority partners, stakeholders and communities, and would want to ensure that any new model for our region is locally led and widely supported. It is absolutely vital that this process is collaborative and does not become a damaging distraction or undermine the critical public services we provide.”

He added: “Whilst I remain open-minded to reform, I am concerned that the White Paper creates an arbitrary expectation that any new councils should have a minimum population of 500,000. This is bigger than most existing councils and is far too large, and fundamentally, would be far too remote from our rural communities, with people potentially living up to 50 miles from their town hall.

“We have to keep the ‘local’ in local government and ensure any reforms do not undermine local democracy and access to local services.

“I will be keen to explore these important issues with our local government partners over the coming weeks, and throughout will ensure that the views and needs of our communities are at the heart of everything we do. As with the discussions about the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), I am keen and available to meet with Ministers to put our positive views on the table.”

Clllr Knowles also addressed the Government’s ambition to create overarching local government bodies, called ‘strategic authorities’, in all areas of the country. These would be larger than individual councils, would cover a wider geographical area and would have more decision making powers than individual councils. To unlock the full benefits being offered by the Government, each would also have one person, an elected mayor, leading it. Locally, the strategic authority would be likely to include Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Cllr Knowles said: “While it will take time to fully assess the implications of the English Devolution White Paper, the district and borough councils in Leicestershire have long since welcomed the opportunity for devolution of powers and funding from central government to the regions and recognise this is the best way to secure investment and stimulate economic growth within our communities.

"As leader of Harborough District Council, I think the establishment of a Mayoral Combined Authority for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland would represent a pragmatic and positive step towards achieving this and I remain open-minded about the possibility of joining the existing East Midlands County Combined Authority either now or in the future.”

The East Midlands County Combined Authority covers Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Conservative MP for Harborough, Neil O’Brien, labelled the plans “undemocratic”.

He said: “The Government wants to abolish local district and borough councils altogether and create remote super councils. People will end up having to drive for an hour to visit their remote super council.

“This is neither local nor democracy. It will make the government feel even more remote.”