Nottinghamshire County Council leader's suggestion of super council deemed ‘massively insensitive’ during coronavirus crisis
With the UK heading towards a significant recession, now is the time to look at scrapping district and borough councils and replacing them with one council for the whole of Nottinghamshire, according to the leader of the county council, writes Local Democracy Reporter.
With councils under significant financial pressure exacerbated by the coronavirus response, it was right to look now at how to run services more efficiently in the future, Conservative Kay Cutts said.
But critics have argued the timing of the announcement was ‘massively insensitive’ and that local government reorganisation should not be a priority during the current pandemic.
The Labour leader of Bassetlaw District Council said it amounted to a power grab in the midst of a crisis.
The controversial plan — which was fiercely resisted by district and borough councils — was shelved in 2018.
The Conservatives on the county wanted to scrap Nottinghamshire’s seven districts and borough councils — and the county council — and replace them all with one single council for the whole of Nottinghamshire, excluding the city.
They have estimated it would save £27m-£30m a year for taxpayers.
But opponents argue it would be costly to set up, and would erode local decision making.
Now, the possibility of a ‘super council’ will be examined again by a new committee, expected to be set up next week.
The new group will look at the council’s coronavirus response, and whether setting up a single council afterwards could help make savings needed because of the crisis.
Mrs Cutts, who represents Radcliffe, said: “We are very concerned that the economy of the county is going to suffer.
“We know there are savings annually of between £27m and £30m every year, and if we can save that sort of money in local government then you should.
“We have had ten years of austerity, which seems quite pointless now because (the government) has shelled out billions of pounds to prop up the economy and furlough workers, so clearly we have to make sure as a council that we do save money wherever we can by being as efficient as we can, but also by not having anything that’s unnecessary.
“Because the country is so short of income, there aren’t many places to go in terms of raising taxation. I don’t think the chancellor will want to do that for all sorts of reasons.
“I don’t think families can afford much more taxation and therefore we must look at the other side and say how can we spend less?”
“We have a real duty to make sure that everything we spend is necessary to provide services and not merely window dressing that makes us feel good about ourselves.”
Simon Greaves, Labour leader of Bassetlaw District Council, said: “There will be a huge number of people utterly bemused that in the midst of trying to respond to a global pandemic the county council is looking at local government reorganisation.
“Why this would be a political priority right now I just have no idea. We need to be giving this pandemic our undivided attention.
“It is rank opportunism, with incredibly insensitive timing.”
Jason Zadrozny, leader of Ashfield District Council for the Ashfield Independents, pledged to do everything possible to save the district council.