War of words over Leicestershire council shake-up

A war of words has broken out between leaders of councils in Leicestershire over how councils will be restructured.

The government expects authorities to put in proposals for larger, simpler council structures across existing two-tier council areas including Leicestershire by 21 March.

But leaders of the county, districts and boroughs have been unable to arrange a meeting to discuss proposals so far.

Now the smaller councils have accused Leicestershire County Council of proceeding with a consultation on restructuring plans without any collaboration.

The county council's acting leader Deborah Taylor told a full council meeting she had been frustrated in efforts to meet the district and borough leaders but "the door is not closed" to discussions with them.

The authority has launched a consultation on a new proposal to create a single unitary authority across the existing Leicestershire area.

All seven district and borough leaders, alongside Rutland County Council's leader have issued a strongly-worded statement of their own entitled: "No collaboration - our residents deserve better".

Leicestershire County Council's bid to be in the first phase of local government re-organisation was submitted in January but rejected by the government.

The bid had achieved at least top-level agreement - with agreement from the leaders of Leicester City Council and Rutland County Council.

It requested Leicestershire's elections in May to be postponed for a year, so reorganisation could be fast-tracked.

Districts and borough leaders in Leicestershire complained they had not been consulted on it.

Now the county council has launched a consultation with the public on its latest plan for one unitary authority, built on established boundaries with the city, and excluding Rutland.

The county council claims the new authority would save about £30m every year in cutting duplicated senior staffing while simplifying access to services and reducing confusion over who is responsible for what.

This consultation runs until 18 March.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the district councils and Rutland County Council say they will work on their own proposals and are "extremely disappointed that the county council is continuing with its proposal with no discussion or engagement with other councils".

They believe a single county unitary council serving 800,000 residents would be one of the largest in the country and be "too remote, too cumbersome, too inaccessible and ultimately inefficient and unsustainable."

They face the same deadline of submitting proposals to the government - 21 March.

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