The leader of a Leicestershire council has criticised Government devolution proposals which could lead to the scrapping of the local authorities including the one he runs. Councillor Stuart Bray said reforms announced by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner were a “power grab” which would undermine local democracy.
He is the latest senior local government figure in Leicestershire to speak out against measures outlined in the Government’s English Devolution White Paper. It includes a proposal to merge councils in areas, including Leicestershire where there are two tiers of authority, into a single organisation.
Leicestershire is currently governed by a county council and seven district and borough councils, which share decision making powers between them. The Government is proposing the creation of “strategic authorities”, which would be larger than single councils, and new roles for elected mayors who would lead such authorities.
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Councillor Bray, leader of Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council (HBBC), said: “This is rightly being seen by many as a ‘power grab’. It risks centralising power in the hands of fewer people, notably strategic authorities and strategic mayors.
“It also distracts councils from delivering on key issues that residents care about including housing, health, education, transport, and climate resilience. We need to take the time to explore and consider these proposals further with our local authority partners, stakeholders and communities, and be certain that any new model for our region is locally led and widely supported.
“It is absolutely vital that this process is collaborative and does not become a damaging distraction or undermine the critical public services district councils provide. Our local residents expect a system that will enable local authorities and any other bodies to work in partnership and at a scale that respects local communities.
“Any changes should empower communities and give them a real say in how their local area is run, not dictate to them from miles away. I am keen to explore these important issues with our local government partners over the coming weeks, and throughout will ensure that the views and needs of our communities are at the heart of everything we do.”
Unveiling the proposals, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “We have an economy that hoards potential and a politics that hoards power. So our devolution revolution will deliver the greatest transfer of power from Whitehall to our communities in a generation, empowering those communities to realise their potential.”
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