At the first of two public meetings held at Victoria Hall on Monday 27th January, MP for Rutland and Stamford Alicia Kearns spoke about how local government reorganisation could see Rutland stripped of its county status. 

Due to the current ongoing developments around local government reorganisation as part of wider government devolution plans, there is the possibility that Rutland Council could be merged in with a neighbouring council, likely Leicestershire. Without a county council, there is the potential for Rutland to lose its status as a county. 

Speaking on the possibility of Rutland losing ceremonial county status, Alicia Kearns said: "That for me is a red line. I don't think we should be stripped of our identity." 

When asked by a member of the audience whether it was futile at this point to fight to keep Rutland as a status, Kearns answered: "There's the saying resistance is futile – well I'm not taking that." 

Over 100 people attended the public meeting in Oakham's Victoria Hall (Photo: Grace Kennington)

Kearns reflected on the two different times in the past Rutland has campaigned for its county status, pointing out that they have already won this fight twice. 

However, she also explained the legal side of the argument for the government which, in basic terms, says that Ceremonial Counties like Rutland only exist to have a Lord Lieutenancy. Nowhere in the UK is there a Lord Lieutenancy without a County Council, thus implying that if Rutland lost its County Council, it could lose county status with it. 

This would affect a lot of aspects of local life, including where elections are held, the number of Rutland councillors. It could also mean the loss of a lot of traditions, including the role of High Sheriff, the Rutland Flag and even the 'Welcome to Rutland' road signs. 

Kearns said that she had spoken with representatives within government about the legal aspect of county status, saying she was 'sat between legal opinions' and that there was no certainty that Rutland could keep its ceremonial status. 

However, it is important to note that at this early stage in discussions, a lot of the matters being discussed are hypothetical until the council receives more information. 

It was clear from the meeting that loss of local identity was high up on the list of concerns from local people. At the end of the meeting, Kearns carried out a straw poll where almost everyone in attendance voted saying they wanted the county name to remain and to not be consumed into Leicestershire. 

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