Newark and Sherwood District Council members discuss Local Government Reorganisation in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire at the council’s extraordinary full council meeting

Councillors have expressed their concerns that the devolution process is being rushed and “putting the cart before the horse”.

Earlier this week, the Advertiser heard that Newark and Sherwood District Council’s preferred plan for devolution in Nottinghamshire would see our district merge with Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Gedling, and Mansfield.

As reported last week, all nine leaders from Nottinghamshire’s councils have been shown three possible options as part of the process for the upcoming restructure of local government in Nottinghamshire.

The district council’s preferred option is the aforementioned Option 1e, with 1b seeing the same except Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Gedling would combine, and Option 2 seeing Nottingham remaining as its own unitary authority, with the rest of the Nottinghamshire boroughs and districts forming the second unitary authority.

Newark and Sherwood District Council leader Paul Peacock said that it’s “quite clear” that 1e is the “most sensible option”, and the Local Government Reorganisation in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire was discussed at the district council’s extraordinary full council meeting on Wednesday night.

He said at the meeting: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity we will be involved in.

“We’ve all got personal preferences how you want this to go and I think someone like me who has been involved for a long journey there’s a clear reasonable and sensible option, but not everyone feels the same way and I think it’s premature for us to move to take on a preferred option.”

The members at the meeting expressed concerns about how the reorganisation will affect the council’s services.

Johno Lee said that after talking to colleagues in other unitary authorities, services such as children’s and adult’s services were already being affected as the funding for those departments could be cut.

“You could ask 40 different people what they thought and would get 40 different answers,” he said, “But the one thing not to go down the unitary route was we didn’t want to lose the district council.

“Unitary authorities have had to cut libraries and that’s what I worry about, when we go to unitary, that these [services] we cherish will be lost.”

Roger Jackson said that he was concerned that the devolution process was being rushed and that the council was “putting the cart before the horse”.

“The Boundary Commission should be looking at this and what will be best mix for the boundaries, it doesn’t matter what we put forward as they will do what they think is best come November,” he said.

“I’m not frightened of unitary authorities — but I feel Newark and Sherwood residents will suffer from this one.

“We’re a well run, tight ship of a district council but the city council is in debt and I’m worried for Gedling and Broxtowe and Rushcliffe being drawn into the city.

“I do feel that this is rushed and not thought through, it should be more thought from the government and get the Boundary Commission in to work out what will work.

“I’m not against [unitary authorities], I’m against the rush of what’s happening.”

Jack Kellas recommended that it be minuted that the government be encouraged to hold a full consultation to ensure the people of Nottinghamshire have their say on the proposals.

“It’s really important part of the process and I’m sure it’s something he [Paul Peacock] will push for,” which Mr Peacock confirmed.

Mr Peacock acknowledged Mr Jackson’s concerns, that the process is indeed “moving at pace” and that he was pleased it was as it had been talked about in the background for a long time.

He added that, in his view, all the councils were working in a disjointed way and having one unitary authority will streamline services and make everything simpler for residents, with one council to call for all their issues.