Harborough leader says plans for single council for county will make local politics 'inaccessible' for local people

In a joint statement, the leaders of Leicestershire’s seven district and borough councils - and the leader of Rutland County Council - expressed fears that having just one authority would be “cumbersome” and make local politics “inaccessible” for local people.

Their comments come after Leicestershire County Council confirmed on Wednesday, February 19, that it would be putting forward initial proposals for a single county authority, with Leicester and Rutland left separate. The announcement also came with a U-turn on the previous stance expressed by county leaders that they would support an extension of Leicester’s boundaries.

District and borough leaders have further claimed the county council has entered into “no discussion” nor “engagement” with them over its latest proposals, saying they believe residents “deserve better”. Acting leader of the county authority Deborah Taylor denies this, saying a meeting was set up for Friday, February 14, but later cancelled by the districts and boroughs themselves.

The statement, backed by Harborough District Council leader Cllr Phil Knowles, reads: “We are extremely disappointed that the county council is continuing with its proposal to create one single unitary council for the whole of Leicestershire with no discussion or engagement with other councils. Our residents deserve better.

“This goes against the expectations of Ministers and the intent of the government’s white paper on how it wishes to see local government reorganisation developed. We don’t believe the current system is broken, but if it is to change then we believe one single county unitary serving 800,000 residents, one of the largest in the country, would be too remote, too cumbersome, too inaccessible and ultimately inefficient and unsustainable.”

They did, however, support the county’s position that Rutland should remain separate. Leaders went on to say they will be developing their own proposals to put to the Government by the deadline of Friday, March 21. They added their own plans would “strike the right balance between size and maintaining a strong local connection to communities”.

The leaders continued: “We must, and we will, keep the local in local government. Any new unitary councils should reflect the way people live their lives in that area and be aligned to where people live, work, shop and play. We are therefore exploring options for smaller unitary authorities which will serve our local communities’ needs better, but also enhance their future prosperity.”

Residents, business and local organisations will all “have a meaningful voice in the process”, the statement promises. The leaders added the “door remains open” for the county council to work with them on the plans.

Leicestershire County Council is currently inviting residents to comment on the plans put forward by its own politicians. Coun Taylor has said she believes that one authority for the county is the “common-sense” approach as it would save more money, avoid the duplication of services and would remove the risk of a “postcode lottery” when it comes to residents’ access to services.