Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) leader Cllr Sam Smith has moved to clarify the authority’s position on the planned Local Government Reorganisation of the county ahead of a meetings to discuss options.
Local authority leaders will come together next week to discuss three potential options for reorganisation, which have been developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) following discussions with Gedling and all other existing Notts councils.
The Conservative leader said that NCC would be formally endorsing the ‘county only’ option on the table.
That would see Nottingham city remaining a unitary authority, with a new single unitary authority created for the rest of Nottinghamshire.
The other options are combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Gedling, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire or combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Rushcliffe, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire.
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Council Leader Sam Smith said: “We have carefully considered the options available and it is clear that a ‘County Only’ model is the only way to ensure that all current county residents continue to receive high-quality services while keeping council tax low. The alternative proposals at this stage, in their current form, are not acceptable to this Conservative administration and would require significant boundary changes to make them feasible.”
He added: “The County Council remains committed to protecting vital services for all its residents. Unlike many adjoining areas facing significant financial cutbacks, this Conservative run Nottinghamshire County Council is keeping libraries open, spendingover £70m on repairing our roads and pavements, and continuing to support essential bus routes to ensure our communities remain well-connected.”
“Our priority, as always is the people of Nottinghamshire, and by endorsing the ‘County Only’ model, we are championing a stable and financially sustainable future for local government, that protects the services that matter most to our residents, ensuring that they continue to benefit from good quality provision.”
It’s a cash grab, steal from the more affluent boroughs to use elsewhere for those crap at managing their money. All into same coffer. You can guarantee the boroughs will not receive what they had prior to this if it takes place.
It’s a cash grab, steal from the more affluent boroughs to use elsewhere for those crap at managing their money. All into same coffer. You can guarantee the boroughs will not receive same monies they had prior to this if it does takes place.