Nottinghamshire councillor calls for a U-turn on local government reshaping
A Nottinghamshire councillor has called on the Government to U-turn on its plans to reshape English councils after concerns the process is being rushed.
At a Nottinghamshire full council meeting on July 10, Broxtowe coucillor Teresa Cullen (Brox Alliance) tabled a motion on the incoming local government reorganisation (LGR).
The reshaping of councils is part of the Labour Government’s plans to give more powers back to local areas by creating more ‘strategic authorities’ and new combined councils.
In practice, it means merging smaller councils with larger ones, meaning all seven of Nottinghamshire’s district and borough councils could disappear by 2027 or 2028.
Coun Cullen said: “This is the biggest change in local government in 50 years.
"It’s a deeply troubling trend where sweeping structural changes are being proposed in advance with no meaningful engagement with the very people these changes effect – our residents.”
Her motion proposed opposing any Nottinghamshire reorganisation not informed by evidence for service improvement, to have an open consultation for residents – not restrictive to the three March options – and to called on the council leader Mick Barton (Ref), to write to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State about needs-based and ring-fenced funding for reorganisation and services.
Coun Barton responded that he would see a full report from consultants on the options considered and added: “The Government is out on consultation on a new needs-based formula for local government, so I don’t need to write to the Prime Minister or Secretary of State.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Coun Cullen said she was ‘absolutely calling on the Government to U-turn on on LGR’.
She said: “It makes no sense to press ahead with undue haste with reorganisation that’s going to be so massively divisive for the voters.
“The general public haven’t quite clocked what’s happening yet, it’s a fundamental shift, it’s making super councils instead of local councils – it will actually change how local authorities are run.
“I’d like to see the Government draw a halt to the current process and come forward with a new process taking into account the change of political circumstances – for me it’s about local residents having their say first, not after changes are implemented.”
Responding to this call for a U-turn, Coun Barton said in a statement to the LDRS: “It won’t get a U-turn, it’s a Government policy, it’s not something we cannot move forward with.
“No-one likes it but it’s Government legislation.
“The timescales are set for all areas to complete the process before November.
"We have had this imposed on us and we need to make sure we get the best outcome for our residents.”
Coun Sam Smith (Con), leader of the opposition, supported Coun Cullen’s motion but told the LDRS: “The Government wont U-turn, what it needs to do is take into account resident views, which is that we can’t allow parts of the county to join the city boundaries and ensure rural areas are protected.
“Reorganisation, if done right, is a good thing, it means less bureaucracy – but they’re not taking into account local voices.”
In March 2025, Nottinghamshire leaders saw three options for the looming re-jig, where two involved various either combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, Gedling or combining Nottingham, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe.
The third sees Nottingham remaining as an existing unitary authority with a new ‘county-only’ unitary for the rest of Nottinghamshire.
Since then, Rushcliffe Council has plans to table a fourth separate option seeing the ‘county-only’ option split into two unitaries and there is speculation Nottingham City Council are forming an option that would see West Bridgford, Beeston, Hucknall, Arnold and Carlton absorbed into a new city boundary.
This has led to concerns from Nottinghamshire councillors that no consensus amongst the area’s nine councils will be made in time for November 2025 where a full business case for an agreed-upon option needs to be submitted to the Government.
Coun Cullen’s motion had 19 for votes, 35 against and two abstentions.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was contacted for comment.