Agenda and draft minutes

Link to further information in the Council’s Constitution

Councillors Brown, Butler, Clarke, Gowland, Om, Upton and J. Wheeler declared an interest In respect of Item 3 Local Government Reorganisation in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. They confirmed that as dual hatted members of both Nottinghamshire County Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council, they had attended earlier a meeting at Nottinghamshire County Council and voted on the item being discussed this evening. They confirmed that they had come to the meeting with an open mind and were ready to listen to the debate in the interests of Rushcliffe’s residents. 

The report of the Chief Executive is attached.

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

The Leader referred to its tremendous significance and thanked officers from Rushcliffe and around the County for their hard work in producing this complex submission. This report presented the strategic case for creating two, new unitary councils, Nottingham Council and Nottinghamshire Council, to deliver clear accountability, better services and stronger local leadership. The Leader stated that despite the Government’s guidelines being unclear, a process had to be followed, with residents’ needs always coming first; however, he felt that the vast majority of the public did not want LGR, especially as it was not in the Labour Party’s Election Manifesto.

The Leader stated that the vision and ambition of this proposal was to apply a strapline of ‘Safer, Simpler, Stronger’ governance, which would align with the boundaries of the Combined Authority and the Integrated Care Service, providing simplified service delivery. The proposals included Neighbourhood Committees, giving real influence over priorities and funding, with joined up services, allowing councils to act quickly, and it was hoped that the reorganisation would allow a ‘digital first’ approach. The Leader stated that in respect of economic growth, Nottingham was a national and international hub, with the County focused on clean energy and advanced manufacturing.

The Leader referred to the complicated financial case, which could be summarised as annualised savings of £122m by Year 3, rising to £235m by Year 5, with an anticipated payback period of 1.34 years. In respect of governance, it was proposed that 187 Councillors would represent both authorities, which would reduce current numbers by more than half, increasing workloads for individual Councillors. The creation of Neighbourhood Committees for hyper-local decision making, having a stronger partnership with parish and town councils was envisaged, with further work on this after implementation in 2028. Before then, significant work would be required to produce a comprehensive Implementation Plan, to ensure safe transition and service continuity. The Leader confirmed that the submission aligned with Government priorities and criteria, and that it would deliver better services, empower communities, facilitate economic prosperity, and secure financial resilience, and he felt that Option 1b was the best of the proposed three options.

In moving the recommendations, the Leader referred to recommendation c) and stated that the membership of the Task and Finish Group should be expanded to a suitable number to ensure representation from across the Council.

Councillor Brennan seconded the recommendation and reserved the right to speak.  

Councillor J Walker stated that LGR had come to the forefront due to the need for long term financial sustainability, following years of austerity, which had pushed many councils to the brink. She felt that everyone agreed that a way was needed to make collective councils more sustainable, by looking at funding distribution, and it was good that the future shape of Local Government was being  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35.