By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
It looks likely Shire Hall will back a single unitary authority as the preferred option for local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire tomorrow (November 12) as the Liberal Democrats will have a free vote.
Gloucestershire County Council along with the six district authorities have worked together to come up with two proposals for how local government could be organised in the future.
These are for one single unitary authority or splitting the county into East and West with one council made up of Gloucester, the Forest of Dean and Stroud and the other composed of Cheltenham, Cotswold and Tewkesbury.
Separate plans for a Greater Gloucester unitary council with another unitary for the rest of the county is being put forward by the City Council.
County Councillors will take a non-binding vote to express their preference for either the single unitary option or the East/West option.
And cabinet will then decide next week which option to submit to the Government by November 28.
The Council’s Lib Dem leader Lisa Spivey (South Cerney) says she respects the range of views within her group and is “championing a free vote” on the proposals.
“While opinions within our group vary, the shared commitment to democratic values remains strong,” she said.
“A free vote reflects our belief in thoughtful, independent decision-making.
“The request to reorganise has come from government at a time where local councils are extremely pressured.
“We appreciate the opportunities reorganisation presents; however, we cannot ignore the fact that our time and resources could be better used focusing on the huge financial and operational challenges the sector faces.
“Ultimately, the final decision isn’t even ours to make, it will be made by ministers in Whitehall, so there’s no sense in turning this into an internal battle.
“What matters most is that every councillor’s voice is heard and their views are taken seriously.”
Councillor Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton), who leads the administration at the City Council, said his fellow Lib Dems who represent city divisions are likely to abstain.
The reason being is the Greater Gloucester option is not on the agenda for the meeting.
And Lib Dems who are County Councillors for areas in the Tewkesbury Borough are likely to vote for the single unitary council option, this is something its leader Richard Stanley (Severn Vale) has championed.
While Cheltenham councillors may prefer the East/West option which has been supported by the spa town’s Borough Council and MP Max Wilkinson.
Reform UK, who lead the opposition at Shire Hall, have previously said they disagree with local government reorganisation but have confirmed their intention is to vote for a single unitary authority.
The Conservatives are also expected to vote for the single unitary option and their group leader Stephen Davies (Hardwicke and Severn) said just last week that he is yet to meet someone outside of politics who thinks splitting the county in two is a good idea.
It is unclear how Green Party Councillors will vote as they will have complete freedom to vote as they wish.
However, Cllr Chris McFarling (G, Sedbury) is against all of the above options and believes “this is centralisation under the guise of decentralisation.
“It’s removing the local out of government,” he said. “It’s dismissing local knowledge, local relationships that have developed over decades to deliver services in the best way possible for the unique district councils.
“One size doesn’t fit all for seven different councils. They all have different areas, geographies and identities.
“This is a loss of identity. We will lose the Forest of Dean and return to being on the fringe, on the edge of power begging for crumbs from the table. It’s poorly thought through.”
County Council chairman Steve Robinson (L, Nailsworth), Labour’s only councillor at Shire Hall, said his party’s stance is for two unitary authorities to be created.
The makeup of the council is 27 Liberal Democrats, 11 Reform councillors, 9 Green Party members, six Conservatives, one Labour councillor and one Independent.
Based on the Government’s current timetable, elections to the new council or councils would be in May 2027 with the new authority taking over from the current seven councils from April 2028.
The full proposals, along with a timetable of the council meetings where they will be debated can be found on Future Gloucestershire : Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation in Gloucestershire
Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk
Original post on the Gloucestershire News Centre website
Gloucestershire News Centre