The government has launched a consultation into its plans to abolish all councils in the county
Under the LGR plans, all councils across Warwickshire would be scrapped including the county council at Shire Hall
Locals have the chance to have their say on the ‘biggest change in a generation’ across Warwickshire. That is according to the government which has launched a public consultation into its plans to scrap all of the local councils in the county.
Through its Local Government Reform, it wants to abolish all two tier councils and asked those at risk to come up with new plans. It has now confirmed that it has received two proposals for Warwickshire.
One is from Warwickshire County Council and Rugby Borough Council which wants a single Warwickshire authority that would be responsible for all council services across the whole of the county.
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The other is from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwick District Council that proposes two unitary councils -one to provide council services in the North and one in the South.
Now the government says it wants to hear the views of local residents and businesses before it makes its final decision. n a statement, Alison McGovern, the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, said: “Unitary councils provide clarity for residents and are more effective.
“That’s why we’re carrying out the biggest change to local government in a generation, and I would encourage local people and businesses to share their views in shaping the future of their area.”
The LGR plans have courted much controversy not only nationally but also locally. This is because the government asked some of the impacted councils if they wanted to delay local elections this year.
This led to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council’s previous leader, councillor Chris Watkins, being ousted from his role as the local Labour group had asked for them to be delayed. Less than 24 hours later, the government confirmed that Nuneaton and Bedworth elections were not on the list to be delayed and that they will still go ahead on May 7.
How to have your say
On the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) website, there is a dedicated section for the Warwickshire proposals. consultation.
It states: “This consultation asks questions about each proposal to help inform the assessment of the proposals.”
It can be found online here
Paper copies are also available from:
Main council office reception areasLibraries operated by Warwickshire County CouncilCouncil-operated MuseumsPaper copies can also be requested by calling 01926 410 410
Responses to the questions can be submitted by email to [email protected].
Written responses can also be sent to:
LGR ConsultationFry Building 2NEMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government2 Marsham StreetLondonSW1P 4DF
The consultation is set to run for seven weeks, until March 25.
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