The changes that have been proposed to Nottinghamshire councils could affect how many services are delivered in Gedling borough and beyond.
Back in February, the government invited councils in Nottingham to explore reorganisation again, as with many other councils across the country.
This is a part of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in areas with two-tier councils, which includes Nottinghamshire, with it having a county council as well as separate borough councils.
This isn’t the first time the idea has been proposed in Nottinghamshire, with the last plans for a shake-up being dropped back in 2019.
The city council is a separate entity, already under a unitary council, but is still part of the proposed plans.
The government seeks to create a unitary council which they say would make local government more efficient and could save money by taking actions such as sharing more resources and merging departments.
They say the aim is to reduce confusion over council responsibilities and make services more efficient and easier to access.
There are two main ways the councils are considering reorganising.
One, known as option 1b, includes combining Nottingham City council with Gedling and Broxtowe into a new unitary council, leaving the other five areas to form a second unitary council.
The other proposed option, known as option 1e, would see the city council merge instead with Rushcliffe and Broxtowe to similar ends.
These plans have not come without criticism, with leaders of both the city council and Broxtowe council voicing their concerns on the boundary changes.
Some have argued that this could cut the red tape, with residents only having to navigate one website or call one number to get the service they need, instead of the potentially two they do currently.
But others have said that changing the boundaries and a unified council could lose touch with the distinct needs of boroughs such as Gedling.
There are also concerns around the jobs of those currently working for the councils in question.
This comes after back in September, several of the Nottinghamshire councils released a report which detailed residents’ thoughts on the reforms.
It found that two in three residents were against the possible changes to the council boundaries, with 70% of respondents saying they were satisfied with the services they were receiving from their council.
But only 20,000 people were a part of the consultation which happened over the summer (until mid-September), which is less than 1% of Nottinghamshire’s population.
This report was released by seven Nottinghamshire councils, to the disappointment of both the Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) and Rushcliffe borough council (RBC) who dismissed the report.
In a joint statement The Council Leaders, Councillor Mick Barton (NCC) and Councillor Neil Clarke (RBC) said: “Under 24 hours to review and publish a lengthy and incredibly important report that could form a cornerstone of the future of local government in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire is irresponsible.
“This engagement is not finished and so far, has failed to reach most of our residents and businesses.
“The only clear message from this report is that two in three people here in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire do not want the Labour Government’s reorganisation.”
These two councils have now worked on an alternative proposal which would see Gedling and Broxtowe merge with the City, and Nottinghamshire Cpunty Council join with the remaining authorities.
All proposals are due at the end of November, with meetings and final additions still being made.
After the submission date on November 28, there will then be a review period by the government.
A decision is expected to be made on the proposals made by the Nottinghamshire councils (and 20 other councils across the country) by summer 2026.
If these plans were approved, a unitary council could take over from 2028 onwards.
