Views sought on local councils shake-up

Nottingham could end up with a bigger boundary under government plans

People in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are being asked for their views on plans to reorganise local government.

A six-week consultation has been launched to gather feedback on proposals to replace the existing council structure with two new unitary councils.

The questionnaire has been put out by all nine existing councils across the county.

It asks respondents what they think of the shake-up and asks them to list their priorities for the restructured authorities.

The decision to launch a local government reorganisation process was taken by central government, which wrote to local authorities in February.

The aim is to create more efficient and effective local government, potentially leading to streamlined services and cost savings.

Councils were formally asked to submit proposals to create new structures of unitary authorities, which is a single tier of local government responsible for all local services in an area.

Nottinghamshire is currently made up of a complex mix of councils

Two core options are currently being considered in Nottinghamshire:

• A new unitary authority combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Gedling, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire; Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, Bassetlaw and Rushcliffe. This is known as 1b.

• A new unitary authority combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Rushcliffe, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire; Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, Bassetlaw and Gedling. This is known as 1e.

In Nottinghamshire, local services are currently delivered under what is known as a 'two-tier' council structure.

Nottinghamshire County Council oversees county-wide services such as social care, education, and road maintenance while several smaller district and borough councils are responsible for more localised services including waste collection, and leisure centres.

Nottingham City Council operates as a unitary authority, meaning it provides all council services within the city of Nottingham.

At this stage, no final decision has been made on a single option, and some councils could still explore additional proposals alongside the two core options currently being considered.

The views of people shared in the survey will feed into the development of final proposals which must be submitted to government by 28 November.

Government officials will then review proposals before making a final decision next summer.