Broxtowe Council leader calls for 'service review' on local government reorganisation
The leader of Broxtowe Council has called on the Government to think more about local government organisation (LGR).
Broxtowe was one of two Nottinghamshire authorities, along with Ashfield, that did not submit an option choice to Government by the Novemebr 28 deadline.
Broxtowe councillors voted to reject all three of the proposed LGR options for Nottinghamshire – all of which put either all or part of the district into the new city-based authority that will be created – something many Broxtowe residents are against.
Coun Milan Radulovic (Brox All), council leader, has instead called on the Government to do a ‘service-based review’ on reorganisation as he says Broxtowe will be the big losers if it ends up part of the city.
He said: “Council tax will go up, rent up, less council tax support scheme, green belt under far more threat under a city expansion.”
The Government announced plans back in December 2024 to re-shape England’s two-tier council structure that split council responsibilities between lower-tier district councils responsible for smaller-scale services and upper-tier county councils that handle major services.
Nottingham City Council already exists as a unitary authority.
Nottinghamshire’s authorities deliberated three reorganisation options for the area, all of which included some form of Nottingham city merging with boroughs outside of the city boundary to form a unitary authority.
A second unitary would include the remaining parts of the county.
Option 1B – a Nottingham, Broxtowe and Gedling merge – has been formally backed by Nottinghamshire Council and Rushcliffe Council.
Coun Neil Clarke (Con), Rushcliffe leader and a county councillor, told the local democracy reporting service (LDRS): “Rushcliffe have either got the luxury or disadvantage, everybody wants us because our financial situation is desirable – if Rushcliffe was included in the rest of the county the people of Bassetlaw would be better off.”
Option 1E – a Nottingham, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe merge – was backed by Bassetlaw Council, Gedling Council, Mansfield Council and Newark & Sherwood Council.
Coun Julie Leigh (Lab), Bassetlaw leader, told the LDRS this option ‘keeps similar communities together’ and ‘cuts Nottinghamshire in half’.
She continued: “Option 1B would stretch 60 miles from the very top of Bassetlaw to the very south of Nottinghamshire – this could make the distance unwieldy and make it harder for the council to really stay in touch with communities it serves.”
Ashfield Council has remained neutral on LGR options with no formal submission
The city council has backed its self-made re-shaping proposal, Option 1B (II), which would see the city boundary expanded into parts of boroughs and not whole boroughs.
Under this re-shaping plan, the majority of Broxtowe – including Kimberley but not Eastwood – south Gedling and half of Ruschliffe could find itself in a new unitary with the existing Nottingham boundary.