Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

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Councillors Clarke, Upton and J Wheeler declared an interest, as dual hatted members of both Rushcliffe Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council, stating that although the County Council had considered this matter, they were here this evening to consider the item afresh, and with the interests of Rushcliffe Borough Council in mind.

The report of the Chief Executive is attached.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)               the recommendations of Corporate Overview Group and Council in relation to the approval of the Greater Nottinghamshire Proposal for Local Government Reorganisation be considered;

b)               the edits made be accepted and the submission of the Proposal by the deadline of 28 November 2025 be approved;

c)               authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to approve the final design and any necessary minor editing revisions of the Proposal document and submit it to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 28 November 2025;

d)               it be acknowledged that this decision of Cabinet is exempt from Call-In pursuant to the Urgency provisions in the Council’s Constitution for the reasons stated in this report; and

e)               a cross-party Task and Finish Group be established to provide oversight of Local Government Reorganisation on the basis of the draft Terms of Reference at Appendix One, amendments to which are to be delegated to the Chief Executive, to increase the membership to such a number as is sufficient to ensure representation from all parts of the Council.

The Leader and Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Strategic and Borough-wide Leadership, Councillor Clarke presented the report of the Chief Executive detailing the draft Greater Nottinghamshire Proposal for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

The Leader referred to the extensive engagement between councils across the County and the considerable work undertaken since February, and he thanked officers, in particular from Rushcliffe for all their hard work throughout this process.  He stated that public engagement had taken various forms to ensure that all views were considered, and it had been scrutinised by the Corporate Overview Group, as well as being fully debated last week at the Extraordinary Council meeting, to ensure that all Councillors were involved. The Leader reminded Cabinet that Rushcliffe’s priority was its residents and businesses. The Council delivered outstanding services and was held in high esteem by residents and it was vital to take their interests into account.

The Leader referred to the various options proposed around the County, with three coming to the fore, with 1b being Rushcliffe’s preferred option to submit to Government by 28 November. This option would consist of two new Unitary Authorities, Nottingham City and Nottingham County, with Rushcliffe part of the latter. The Leader referred to the two other main options, and stated that Rushcliffe could not support those, as it was important that any new council maintained the highest standards of service and financial stability. The Leader confirmed that Option 1b had been fully financially analysed.

The Leader referred to recommendation e) and the establishment of a cross- party Task and Finish Group and stated that initially the Terms of Reference proposed a membership of nine Councillors. However, to ensure that everyone had the opportunity to be involved in the process, he felt that the membership should be expanded, with the Chief Executive being granted delegated authority to finalise those numbers to ensure that all parties were represented.

The Leader concluded by reminding Cabinet about the process and timelines following the submission, and that further work would be taking place.

In seconding the recommendation, Councillor Brennan referred to the huge amount of discussion and work, which had taken place, and given Rushcliffe’s position as an efficient and debt free Council, it had been a challenge to put in place proposals that would benefit residents. She felt that this process had shown that people did care about their geography and that the Council was efficient, not wasteful and spent Council Tax funds responsibly. Councillor Brennan believed that people were passionate about this because they cared, and despite differing views, she genuinely believed that everyone wanted the best for local residents. She agreed that the Council had remained focused on the needs of residents and businesses and given that the only choice was to go forward with this process, it had responded positively, and the report outlined the best option for Rushcliffe, which she hoped the Government would give serious consideration to.

Councillor Inglis noted that there was no reference to the impact on staff and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35.