Calls for ‘reality check’ over ‘expensive’ plan to split Gloucestershire in two councils
Gloucestershire County Council is working with the six district councils to develop options to submit to the minister for local government reorganisation
There are calls on Shire Hall’s Liberal Democrat leadership to have a “reality check” and drop “expensive” plans to split Gloucestershire into two new unitary authorities.
Gloucestershire County Council is working with the six district councils to develop options to submit to the minister for local government reorganisation.
However, there are opposing views among the Lib Dems who make up the administration at Shire Hall over how the county should be governed.
Officers are currently working on two options, one which would be a single unitary made up of the six districts and the County Council.
Another option being looked into is that of splitting the current footprint of the upper-tier council into two.
An east Gloucestershire council based on the boroughs of Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the Cotswold district, and another authority made up of Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean.
Meanwhile, the Lib Dem-run City Council is developing its own “Greater Gloucester” option.
And Tewkesbury Borough Council’s leader Richard Stanley (Severn Vale) submitted a petition last week signed by 2,000 people who are calling for the county to be kept together.
The Lib Dem councillor said the county is “not a pie to be carved up on a map – it’s our shared home”.
David Redgewell, a member of the public who asked a question at the meeting on September 10, said it is “frustrating to see so many options drawn up for the small county of Gloucestershire”.
“It has already lost the south to Bristol and South Gloucestershire in 1974,” he said.
“Now to suggest splitting it in half again, with two directors of social services, two directors of housing, two directors of fire service…
“And then we have an idea for a small city of Greater Gloucester…”
He called for a “reality check” as meanwhile there are people in the county concerned about their future.
“Meanwhile the concerns we have, reality check, economic development, growth, employment, people living in this county that need a future and need a governance of this county.
“Every other county in the south west has gone unitary, it hasn’t split itself into bits.
“Could I please ask you between now and November 27 that you try to come to some conformity of a county area that doesn’t make it more expensive to run services in this authority?
“Why do we need two directors of highways, two directors of social services? I don’t see this is politics, it’s not people, it’s not communities.
“Can you consult with the residents of Gloucestershire about the future of their county?
“Cheltenham’s borough boundaries don’t even cover its suburbs, they’re in Tewkesbury and same in Gloucester.
“We need to get a reality check here.
“Do we have to really have the Government tell us how to run Gloucestershire?
“Can’t the councillors in Gloucestershire please run Gloucestershire and go out to a proper consultation with the community because the last one was a bit of a sham.”
His passionate speech was met with applause from opposition councillors.
Council leader Lisa Spivey (LD, South Cerney) said she would love for the county to decide its own destiny.
She explained the authority is working along with the six district councils in the county to deal with local government reorganisation.
And she said they are working hard to get a submission for November 28.
“We will do all the work we can,” she said.
“The reason we’ve come together to work collaboratively across the seven councils is that we know this is unfortunately not a decision that is going to be made in this chamber or indeed any of the chambers across this county.
“It is a decision that will be made in Whitehall.
“It is incumbent on us to make sure that whatever decision is made by the minister at some point next year is that we can actually implement that.
“That’s why we have all been working together.
“Yes, I would love for us to be the ones who are the ones deciding but it’s not the case.”
She said there will be a full consultation when they put their submissions to the Government.