Nottinghamshire north-south council idea ‘beginning of Mansfield renaissance’

Under Mansfield’s proposal, in conjunction with Newark & Sherwood, Gedling and Bassetlaw Councils, the ‘Sherwood Forest’ council would comprise Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Gedling, Mansfield and Newark & Sherwood.

It is being known as Option 1E, and would see Nottingham City, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe banded together separately in a ‘Nottingham and South Nottinghamshire’ council.

At a full council meeting on November 25, a heated debate ended with 26 votes in favour of the proposal.

But not everyone agreed, with six councillors abstaining from the vote and one voting against.

The main division among councillors, which has been the case for months, centres around whether Rushcliffe, in the south-east of the county, should join a council with the more urban areas of the city, Broxtowe and Gedling, or with the more rural northern areas.

Rushcliffe itself wants to join a rural county and has voted for a new council that keeps it and the city of Nottingham apart and puts it instead with Mansfield and the rest of Nottinghamshire.

This option is being called option 1B.

Mansfield’s Labour-led authority, however, thinks that the north-south split, without Rushcliffe in its council, is preferable.

Mayor Andy Abrahams, who leads Mansfield Council, told the council chamber: “We think option 1E is not just the best for us, but for the whole of Nottinghamshire.

"I think a child could have looked at Nottinghamshire and pointed out these sensible geographic boundaries.

“It’s a more coherent socio economic grouping, avoiding the extreme urban and rural asymmetry created by option 1B.

"With 1E, deprivation would be more evenly distributed between the two new authorities, having 1.3 per cent imbalance as opposed to 12.3 per cent with 1B.

“I really do believe this would be the start of the continuing renaissance of Mansfield going forward so I want us to get behind this.”

Coun Andre Camilleri (Con) said he agreed with the idea of new unitary authorities, but slammed the speed at which LGR had been brought in.

He said: “It feels rushed, it’s poorly thought through and it’s already dividing Nottinghamshire.

"The deadlines are extremely tight for something that is permanent.

"It feels like change for change’s sake.”

Coun Camilleri also explained he would not vote for option 1E.

He continued: “For decades, the wealthier southern districts have effectively subsidised the poorer northern districts through county-wide budgets.

"In a new structure, where will the resources go?

"Will they continue to support the northern areas that generally need investment?

“Or will they be diverted to help prop up financially unstable accounts in the city?

"Right now we have no clear answers, just waffle.

"The other crucial point is our county’s historic identity.

“Nottinghamshire isn’t just an administrative area – it’s a shared heritage and identity which families from Mansfield, Rushcliffe and the rest have held for generations.

"People are proud to be residents, but most have no idea how this reorganisation could break that apart.”

Disagreeing with the idea that the whole of Nottinghamshire has an identity, and instead suggesting that the north of the county bar Rushcliffe has its own, was Labour councillor Jacob Denness.

He said: “I think north Nottinghamshire has a very proud culture and has done for a long time.

“We all know the stories of Robin Hood living in the forest.

"We are the ones living in the forest alongside Robin Hood – I think this will highlight our culture.

“We should all consider the northern culture that could be created in this situation today.”

But Reform councillor Martin Wright agreed with Coun Camilleri, saying: “Money that supports our adult social care in Mansfield, Ashfield and Worksop – which is where most money is spent on social care in the county – comes from Rushcliffe.

“Saying it’s 60 miles from the top to bottom of option 1B is a bit smoke and mirrors.

"We’re not going to have bin lorries travelling from the new unitary to Rushcliffe – the distance is irrelevant.

“But why fool ourselves?

"We needn’t fool ourselves because the option that’s going to be taken at the end of the day is the new city option.

"That’s what the Labour Party wants and that’s what the East Midlands Mayor will recommend.

"It doesn’t matter if we discuss it here.”

Nottingham City Council is voting for a third option to 1B and 1E, which would see their boundaries expanded to contain parts of Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe, but not the whole of those areas.

Defending Rushcliffe, Coun Jack Stephenson (Lab) said: “It’s becoming increasingly clear from the proposals put forward by the county council and the city council and the comments from Coun Camilleri and Coun Wright that Rushcliffe is being treated as if it’s a piece of meat – a prize to be claimed.

“Option 1E is the only option that respects the natural practical boundaries of the county and proposes a vision that reflects how our communities truly function, creating a north Nottinghamshire authority built on shared history, common values and real local ties.”

Local councils across the country are currently preparing for their biggest reshuffle since smaller councils were merged into bigger ones in 1974.

By November 28, all local councils across the country needed to send their preferred option for being merged into a bigger council to Westminster.

By 2028, Mansfield Council, Nottinghamshire Council, and all of the country’s other district and county councils, where two counties work in one area, will be gone and replaced by singular ‘unitary’ authorities running all the services in one area.