There have been fresh calls for more transparency about the government’s decision to reshape the county’s local authorities.
Nottinghamshire is heading for its largest boundary shake-up in 50 years, after the government confirmed in July how the area’s nine councils would be merged to create two new unitary authorities.
By 2028, sections of Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe will become part of an enlarged Nottingham city area to form a new unitary authority and a second unitary authority will cover the rest of the county – ending the existing two-tier structure.
Councillors have been debating and criticising the government’s Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) plans since their announcement in 2024, with concerns about potential service impacts, local representation, and the public consultation itself.
These criticisms became more robust this year, when Rushcliffe Borough Council, in a joint effort with Broxtowe Borough Council, appointed a lawyer to assess whether a judicial review on Nottinghamshire’s LGR decision had the “potential to succeed”.
The lawyer ultimately concluded that an application for review was more likely to fail than to succeed.
Judicial reviews involve a judge reviewing the lawfulness of a decision or action made by a public body, but can only be launched to challenge the way a decision was made, rather than the rights and wrongs of a decision.
Now, it appears a legal challenge over Nottinghamshire’s restructure could still happen, with the Reform-led Nottinghamshire County Council writing to the government to seek clarification on the basis for its LGR decision for the county.
The council has issued a ‘Pre-Action Protocol’ letter, which is a procedural step within the judicial review process that aims to get more information about a decision and address any problems before considering further legal proceedings.
The authority says it previously wrote to the government to get insight into the rationale for their LGR decision, including relevant evidence, but this request was “refused”.
In a statement, council leader Mick Barton said: “Transparency regarding the decision-making process is essential given the significance of the proposals and the implications for residents and communities across Nottinghamshire and Nottingham.
“This is why we have taken this action to seek clarification of the reasoning, evidence and rationale behind the Secretary of State’s decision, so we have a clear understanding of how the decision was reached.”
The leader added that once the council receives the information and evidence from the government, it will consider whether to move forward with a full judicial review.
Labour’s restructuring decision has also caused concerns at the lowest tier of local government.
Greasley Parish Council and Broxtowe Borough Council have written to the government to express their “profound” concern about the Greasley parish area being split between the two councils’ boundaries.
The parish council was formed in 1894 and is one of the largest parishes in Nottinghamshire, encompassing Giltbrook, Greasley, Moorgreen, Newthorpe and Watnall.
Under LGR plans, Watnall falls under the new wider Nottingham unitary authority, where the rest of the parish will come under the new county unitary.
This means around one quarter of the existing parish, Watnall, could be left unparished under LGR, which is around 1,500 properties – meaning they could lose the parish-level democratic representation they currently have.
Louise Turgoose, parish clerk, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), said: “I came into this job wanting to help people. To think that potentially a third of our residents could be without help and potentially left on their own is horrible to think about, and the implications for our staff members.
“It’s about losing that representation, there would be a lack of representation for people that live in the area, work in the area, who want to see the best for the area – where decisions about Watnall would be made at a much higher level in Nottingham.”
The parish council currently maintains the area’s sports and community centre along with facilities such as allotments and parks.
Ms Turgoose says in an effort to “preserve” the representation of those living in Watnall, both authorities are calling on the government to retain the whole of the Greasley parish area within the county unitary by amending the proposed boundary changes.
If this cannot be achieved, the councils say they would like the parish council to continue representing all its areas under LGR – regardless of whether Watnall technically falls under the new wider Nottingham unitary – or ensure similar representation can be given in future, potentially under a new Watnall parish.
Broxtowe Borough Council leader Milan Radulovic (Brox Alliance) told the LDRS that the current boundary problem could create a “huge hole” in the parish council’s finances.
He said: “Greasley is a historic parish council, the area dates back to the Domesday Book, it’s historically important.
“To break it up in this way would, in my opinion, be completely wrong, unfair, and it’s done undemocratically without support from local people.
“Removing 1,500 properties – look at the financial implications. All the money raised would be lost. It creates long-term doubt about the viability of running the leisure centre.”
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was contacted for comment.
