Councils clash over reorganisation report

A Local Government Reorganisation report for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire was released on Monday

Councils in Nottinghamshire have clashed over the release of a report on the future of local government in the county.

Rushcliffe Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council said they had "dismissed" and not published Monday's Local Government Reorganisation report, which seven of the county's other authorities released to the public.

The report followed a public engagement exercise, which showed 30% of 11,000 respondents supported plans for reorganisation in Nottinghamshire.

In a joint statement, six other local Nottinghamshire councils said they published the report because "the public have the right to see it".

There are currently three possible ways Nottinghamshire councils could be reshaped.

Option one involves Nottingham city, Broxtowe and Gedling merging to become one unitary authority.

Bassetlaw, Mansfield, Ashfield, Rushcliffe, and Newark and Sherwood would combine to establish a second.

Option two involves Nottingham city joining with Broxtowe and Rushcliffe, with the other districts and boroughs combining to create another separate authority.

Option three involves keeping the current boundary between the city and the county in place but eliminating the two-tiered system in the latter.

After receiving the report on Monday, Rushcliffe Borough Council and the county council said the publication "does not provide the full analysis or the full data and with such a short amount of time to consider the report, it pays lip service to the residents who did take the time to express their views".

The county council said more than 20,000 people had signed petitions about the government's "forced" reorganisation.

Rushcliffe Borough Council leader Neil Clarke (left) and Nottinghamshire County Council leader Mick Barton said publishing the report was "irresponsible"

In their statement, Reform UK county council leader Mick Barton and Conservative Rushcliffe leader Neil Clarke, said spending under 24 hours to review and publish the report was "irresponsible".

"This engagement is not finished and so far has failed to reach most of our residents and businesses," they said.

The two leaders claimed it was "clear" the reorganisation plans were "not supported by the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire community".

They added: "With central government imposing this restructure, how can people trust that councils are working in their best interests if we rush to conclusions?

"We will be taking our time to understand and listen to people, and we will be requesting a meeting with the independent authors of the report.

"Despite the exceptional disappointment that partner councils released the report early, we remain open to working with all councils so we can best meet the needs of local people and respond to the government's requirements."

'Open and transparent'

In response, Bassetlaw District Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Gedling Borough Council, Mansfield District Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council and Nottingham City Council said the leaders' statement had a "number of inaccuracies".

"The engagement exercise was a jointly commissioned, independent exercise and paid for by all nine councils," the joint statement said.

"Nottinghamshire County Council was fully involved in the exercise, and indeed, Councillor Barton chaired the meeting in which the approach was agreed.

"The majority of councils asked that the results from the independent report were published, in the interest of being open and transparent."

A spokesperson for the councils added: "We would like to reiterate that this was an independent process and report.

"Ultimately, these are views given by members of the public, and we must hear those, consider them, and use them to shape our final proposals.

"We remain fully committed to collaborating across the region to ensure the best outcomes for local people."

Ashfield District Council did not sign a statement alongside the other councils, but a spokesperson said on the authority's website: "This is the biggest shake-up in local government in over 50 years, and every response will be reviewed.

"All data will be available to the councils to support the proposals submitted to central government in November.

"It's clear that people want to have their say, and the sheer number of responses has given us a strong understanding of the future needs and priorities of Nottinghamshire's communities."