Harborough council leader welcomes decision not to postpone this year's Leicestershire County Council elections


The county council had requested that May’s vote be pushed back a year in response to Government proposals for the reorganisation of local governance structures.
But the Government has today (Wednesday February 5) said that Leicestershire cannot postpone their county elections.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdUnder restructure plans, Leicestershire could lose its district and borough councils, with a single ‘unitary’ authority being set up for the county instead. The changes could also see Rutland rejoined with Leicestershire, though this is yet to be decided. The city would remain largely separate under current local thinking, but could see its borders expanded to ensure the authority could remain viable, particularly in terms of its difficult financial position.
The Government has said the aim of the political rejig is to “streamline” processes and save money. However, concerns have been raised locally that the proposals could move decision-making further away from communities.
As part of the planning process, the Government said some local authorities would be allowed to postpone the upcoming council elections so they could focus on drawing up their new governance proposals. This included areas which needed the reorganisation of local government to happen in order to unlock or enable devolution – the transfer of additional decision-making powers, and potentially cash, from Westminster to local councils. County leaders said they wanted Leicestershire’s elections to be considered for postponement so it could look at drawing up a new plan for local democracy, potentially putting it on a faster track to access devolution benefits.
However, the Government has this afternoon ruled that Leicestershire County Council cannot postpone its elections. This means county residents will be going to the polls in May to vote for their representatives on the authority.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPhil Knowles, leader of Harborough District Council, was among the seven district and borough council leaders in Leicestershire to issue a joint statement, welcoming the government's decision.
They said: “This provides a more achievable timetable to develop proposals for a future local government structure for Leicestershire and Rutland.
“Importantly, it provides more time to engage and consult with our communities about how we move forward. Your voice must be heard in this process.
“Our communities are at the forefront of our minds when planning how best to deliver services in the future, not only to make sure they feel connected and able to influence those decisions, but also retain a sense of pride in the places they live and work. That is clearly important to people.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“It will also provide more time to gather the evidence to support our proposals which we are confident will deliver savings to ensure funding is channelled towards frontline services. The district councils are working together on these plans.
“We have already made it clear that we have grave concerns over Leicestershire County Council’s proposals for a single unitary council for Leicestershire. With a population of around 750,000 people and 800-square miles of countryside including many towns and villages, it would be one of the biggest unitary authorities in the country. This would be too remote, too cumbersome and inaccessible, from the communities we serve.
“For the sake of our communities, we must keep the local in local government.”