At the full meeting of Lancaster City Council on 22 January Greens won the debate over the motion they submitted on local government re-organisation – despite an attempt by Labour to wreck it. This is the motion that was passed, 30 votes for, 24 against, no abstentions.
Lancaster City Council notes:
- The Government’s White Paper published on 16 December sets out its intention to
abolish county and district councils, including Lancaster City Council, and create
unitary councils with populations of around half a million people. - The proposal drawn up by one of Lancashire’s MPs which was supported by a
number of Lancashire MPs, is to create 3 or 4 unitary councils in Lancashire. In this
proposal Lancaster City Council area would be merged with the existing Blackpool
unitary and Wyre district councils, (and possibly with Fylde district council). A
conflicting proposal, from the Labour leader of Preston council, would merge
Lancaster district and Ribble Valley within a 3-council unitary. - That with regard to the above different proposals circulated by Labour MPs and
councillors from elsewhere in Lancashire, Lancaster City Council leadership has not
been involved in discussions or asked for its views before publication. - That the UK already stands out in Europe as having a very high local authority
population size. - Lancaster City Council previously supported the creation of a Bay Unitary Authority,
backed by councillors from all 5 political groups on Lancaster City Council, which
would have served a smaller population of 300,000 that better reflected community
identity. This was rejected by Government in July 2021. - That previously in November 2023, the Government announced it had negotiated a
Level 2 devolution deal with Lancashire County, Blackpool, and Blackburn with
Darwen Councils. This deal is set to transfer new powers and funding to the
Lancashire Combined County Authority (CCA), in a deal that includes £20 million of
COUNCIL 22ND JANUARY 2025
capital funding to invest in local priorities and the devolution of the Adult Education
Budget. - That this Level 2 Devolution deal is currently being progressed through Parliament.
Lancaster City Council believes: - That devolution of powers and resources from Whitehall to Lancashire is welcome in
principle, but accountability to residents, working arrangements with existing councils
and the protection and enhancement of existing local services and decision making
all require consideration and agreement involving elected representatives in the
county at all levels; - The new White Paper’s insistence of another level of re-organising local councils will
not give time for the agreed proposals for a CCA across Lancashire to bed in; - That whilst the Labour manifesto pledged to create Strategic Authorities, the plans to
reorganise district and borough level councils into large unitaries was not an election
pledge. There is little evidence that such reorganisation will deliver better services or
enhance local decision making. - That reorganisation ensuing from the December 2024 White Paper will have
significant short- and medium-term financial costs, not savings, contrary to what
government claims; and that it will be highly disruptive for the staff who deliver
services; - That local services and facilities are best provided by truly local councils sensitive to
the needs of local residents. The proposals will create a massive democratic deficit,
with power being centralised further away from residents and do not reflect the
identity and interests of local communities and would bring less responsiveness and
less accountability; - That attention which would otherwise be focused on solving problems affecting our
local residents will be diverted into Local Government Reorganisation discussions.
Council resolves:
(1) To oppose the current basis of local government reorganisation in Lancashire, and
its insistence on creating unitary councils required to service huge populations of
around 500,000 people.
(2) To push for and plan for a ‘referendum’ or meaningful far-reaching consultation on
the matter to ascertain the views of local people before any specific realignment of
district councils takes place which affect Lancaster City Council’s residents. The
wording and details of any such referendum or consultation shall be agreed by this
council at a later date.
(3) To mandate the Leader of the Council and the executive to build on existing
arrangements with Lancashire authorities where shared services deliver better value
for money, and to develop a shared vision for the future.
(4) To send a letter requesting that our two MPs work alongside the City Council to
achieve the best possible outcome for local people with respect to the future
structure of local governance
Cllr Gina Dowding says: “The details of Governments proposals remain as clear as mud. I have seen the whole process described thus – which sums it up well: Either this is an iterative process or, they are just making it up as they go along.”
There appears so far to be no press coverage on this by the Local Government Reporter who was there for the very lengthy debate, but draft minutes are available here.
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