Following the final submission of the proposals for Local Government Reorganisation on Friday 28 November, MP for Rutland and Stamford Alicia Kearns has spoken out about their decision in her newsletter. 

Speaking about Rutland County Council's decision to back the North City South model, Kearns said the authority said they didn't want to be in the position they were in. 

North City South proposal (Photo: LDRS)

She wrote: 'During the meeting they expressed their disappointment at what options Rutland had before it for Local Government Re-Organisation. Saying they didn't want to be here.  

'However, this is frankly disingenuous. In January the Leader wrote a letter to Government asking them to re-organise us, saying it was something we in Rutland wanted.  

'This signed Rutland Council's death warrant because re-organisation automatically means losing our independence. 

'It is also disingenuous because the Cabinet could have instructed Council Officials to develop a proposal Rutland could have submitted itself to Government.  

'The proposals the Council could have developed and proposed, which the Conservative Group and I have repeatedly said they should develop, were a proposal to keep Rutland as it is, or a proposal to join with South Kesteven. 

'But the Cabinet chose not to develop their own proposal - even though up and down the country councils and even district councils have developed their own proposals - including both South Kesteven District Council, Lincolnshire County Council and Leicestershire County Council. Instead, they decided to let others determine our future.  

'The charitable view is that they allowed others to submit proposals that include us and then elected to choose one.  

'The alternative is that they had pre-determined they wished to join the North Leicestershire and Rutland model, to which they had contributed significant time and resource. 

'Residents have been very clear that they overwhelmingly want to join with South Kesteven or remain as we are.  

'Rutland's Cabinet could still have told Government that residents' preference is to join with South Lincolnshire, either by meaningfully supporting the proposal by South Kesteven District Council, or by developing our own proposal to merge with South Kesteven or just by expressing this as its position by refusing to back any other option and telling Government we want to join with SKDC.  

'If the Council Cabinet had expressed a preference to join South Lincolnshire it would have been accepted as the position of Rutland County Council by the Government. The Cabinet and Leader withdrew this option from the discussion of all Councillors.' 

According to Kearns, she will, along with the Conservative Councillors, write 'a letter to Government setting out our position and those of residents as captured by RCC's own engagement, the thousands of emails I've received and the votes of hundreds of residents at my public meetings.' 

This is in response to Rutland Conservative Councillors being unable to lay an alterative or amended recommendation against that put forward by the Liberal Democrat councils. 

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