As you may be aware, earlier this year the Government announced plans for Local Government reorganisation, which would see local councils move from a two-tier authority system to a single unitary authority – Leicestershire is one of those areas.
The reorganisation would see local Borough or District Councils, such as Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and North West Leicestershire District Council, merge with Leicestershire County Council. This means whatever option the Government eventually picks, Borough and District Councils will be abolished.
However, there has been disagreement locally around what the new authority should look like. Therefore, I am trying to understand local people's views.
Currently, three interim proposals have been presented to the Government for the area of Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland. The Government’s deadline for final proposals is the 28th of November.
The current proposals are:
- A doughnut: the current city and county boundaries stay the same, but a single Leicestershire unitary is created. All local District / Borough Councils are abolished and come together under one County authority.
- Split the current county: two separate North and South county authorities to be created. The city boundaries would stay the same, but Boroughs and Districts would be abolished.
- Extend the city boundary to take in part of Leicestershire. The city’s estimated population by 2028 is 372,000. This proposal would increase the population to 622,000.
- The areas which would be included within the city are: Fosse Park, Oadby, Wigston, Blaby, Leicester Forest East, Kirby Muxloe, and Countesthorpe, among others.
As your Member of Parliament, I work independently of the councils and have little say in how they deliver services. However, these changes affect all of us as residents, and I want to know what you think of the proposals and how they might impact you.
