Local government reform talks between Rutland and a Lincolnshire neighbour have descended into threats and bullying accusations, leaked emails reveal. 

Rutland County Council leader Gale Waller (Lib Dem) and leader of South Kesteven District Council Ashley Baxter (Ind) have not seen eye-to-eye as they attempt to comply with a UK Government order for existing councils to merge with neighbours to form larger, 'unitary' authorities. 

Cllr Waller has accused Cllr Baxter of attempting to 'bully' her into siding Rutland with South Kesteven. Rutland has alternative options to form a unitary authority with existing councils in north Leicestershire. 

Cllr Baxter has been accused of 'bullying' the leader of Rutland Council into siding with South Kesteven (Photo: LDRS)

Cllr Baxter has said he will remove Rutland from South Kesteven's unitary proposal unless it receives its 'explicit support' by Thursday 13 November. 

The UK Government has ordered local authorities to come up with proposals to merge with neighbours to form unitary councils serving populations of at least 500,000. 

Rutland has drawn up one bid with north Leicestershire and is named in a proposal devised by South Kesteven, North Kesteven and South Holland district councils in Lincolnshire. 

South Kesteven will finalise its proposals at a public meeting at 1pm on Thursday, November 20. Rutland's meeting to finalise its proposals is also public and starts at 7pm the same day. 

Councils have until Friday 28 November, to inform the Government of their preferred bid. 

Since it was proposed, the local government shakeup has been causing fall outs and as decision day approaches, tensions are rising. 

The major bone of contention appears to be Rutland's unwillingness to say it backs the SKDC proposal. Cllr Waller has also criticised Cllr Baxter for not sharing his proposal with her authority for scrutiny.  

An email exchange between the leaders of South Kesteven and Rutland councils in October has been shared with members of South Kesteven District Council. 

Ben Green (Reform UK – SKDC's Isaac Newton Ward) responded to having seen the emails by telling Cllr Waller, who replied saying "I had no idea my email was being circulated", adding "I am very disappointed with the way Ashley has managed local government reform". 

Ben Green, Reform UK Councillor for South Kesteven District Council (Photo: LDRS)

She claims no assurance was received from South Kesteven District Council that the Government would allow a unitary council to be formed across county boundaries, despite having asked Cllr Baxter to find this out through his council's chief executive. 

She wrote: "I made it clear to Ashley, more than once, that I was going to base my decision on evidence not emotion and until I saw the SK/NK proposal I could not judge if it was better for Rutland residents than the North/City/South Leicestershire proposal. I felt he was bullying me into siding with yourselves.  In any event, it is RCC's full council on 20 November, who will recommend to RCC's cabinet what to do." 

Cllr Baxter's earlier emails to Cllr Waller suggested he too was disappointed, having realised the option of merging with South Kesteven was not discussed by Rutland County Council's cabinet in October, despite Cllr Waller having been sent a letter saying they would welcome an "unambiguous expression of clear commitment" from Rutland about the proposal. 

Cllr Baxter had added: "If this was not forthcoming then we would have to reconsider our options". 

And wrote: "I still believe the residents of Rutland have far more in common with South Lincolnshire than North Leicestershire. However, according to advice we have received from MHCLG, the lack of explicit support from RCC would fatally compromise the credibility of a 'South Lincolnshire and Rutland' proposal." 

In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service this week, Cllr Baxter said: "The Government has instructed us to prepare proposals for larger unitary authorities. Since the beginning of the process, I have clearly stated my view that a merger of Rutland with South Lincolnshire would be the best outcome for residents of both counties. 

"I have continually asked Cllr Waller to state publicly whether or not she agrees with this view. 

"Almost a month ago, I informed Cllr Waller that without a clear indication of support from Rutland County Council. we would have to reconsider our options. 

"Since then, it has become increasingly clear that Rutland County Council has been actively supporting a merger with Leicestershire districts. 

"Our proposal is not dependent on the inclusion of Rutland county, and we must recognise that the inclusion of an area beyond the Lincolnshire border adds an element of risk. 

"Consequently, we are reviewing our draft submission to ensure it presents the best case to central government for ensuring local government stays local and we do not end up being governed from afar." 

Cllr Waller also gave a statement, in which she outlined that Rutland has "cooperated with multiple councils" about local government reorganisation and responded "quickly and comprehensively" to requests for information about joining Lincolnshire. 

She added: "This was acknowledged by Cllr Baxter in a letter dated October 10, in which he personally thanked me for my ongoing dialogue as leader of Rutland County Council and praised the collaboration of our officers." 

She said Rutland has not yet committed itself to any one single plan for local government reform and will not do so until after full council on November 20. 

"I have given assurances that Rutland councillors will have the chance to debate and consider all proposals before any endorsement is made," she said. 

According to Cllr Waller, Rutland County Council has not received a final proposal from Lincolnshire and therefore "cannot be expected to commit to a plan without having seen it and compared it against other options". 

"This stance does not constitute a rejection of any one proposal in favour of another," she added. 

"It is consistent with the evidence-led approach I have advocated in public for many months to achieve the best possible local government reform outcome for Rutland. 

"We must have sight of the detail and will not be pushed into a decision."