A council has called a "special meeting" for only the third time in its history.

Rutland County Council will convene on Thursday (August 13) at 7pm to discuss the county's future, amidst backlash over a decision on local government reorganisation.

Under LGR plans announced on July 16 by central government, Rutland will be subsumed by a large new authority in 2028, spanning the length and breadth of Leicestershire, leaving an expanded Leicester city to form a second in the middle.

The outcome was chosen from a pool of several county redesign options, but was not the one Rutland County Council "wanted" according to council leader Christine Wise.

Cllr Lucy Stephenson has been one of the decision's most vocal critics, describing it as "profoundly disappointing".

Speaking on the special meeting announcement, she said: "The Government must be held to account for the decision it has made. We are seeking to understand the evidence base upon which it reached its conclusions, including how the proposed reorganisation will deliver on its stated ambitions for greater efficiency, financial sustainability, effective local services and local democratic accountability.

"Importantly, by using the council's constitutional arrangements to hold this special meeting, residents will also have an opportunity to speak and to place their views formally on the record at this watershed moment in Rutland's history. This is about ensuring that Rutland's voice is heard at a time of monumental change."

The meeting announcement follows a protest held on Thursday (August 6) against the expansion of Leicester, as it is due to "swallow up" several neighbouring Leicestershire villages under LGR.

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"The protest's turnout showed the fight against the City of Leicester's land grab is far from over," Rutland and Stamford MP Alicia Kearns (Con) said, another outspoken critic of the government's judgement on LGR.

She continued: "I will continue to do all I can to ensure residents' voices are heard as the government forces through reforms for which they have no mandate, and where they seem determined to pick the least popular options at every turn."