Rutland County Council responds to devolution discussions, following plans by Leicestershire Council to merge local councils. 

Rutland could merge with Leicestershire under new proposals to streamline council services. The county could form part of a new unitary authority being considered under new Government rules. 

However, its leadership has insisted that, while they are taking part in discussions over the possible merger, "nothing has been decided yet". Gale Waller, leader of Rutland County Council, said it is "important" that "clear evidence" around the benefit of such a move is "weighed up" before any new arrangements are adopted. 

The reorganisation has the "potential" to cut costs, Cllr Waller added. However, she believes local authorities "work best" when their boundaries "reflect the way people live their lives, where they go to work, learn, shop, spend their leisure time and get healthcare". 

Councillor Gale Waller responds to recent discussion about the county merging with neighbour Leicestershire (Photo: Rutland County Council)

Her comments come following an announcement last night (Thursday, January 9) that Leicestershire County Council was asking the Government if it could push back May's local elections by a year so it could look at plans to streamline the council set-up locally. The move is linked to Government plans to do away with two-tier authorities in areas such as Leicestershire, where, at the moment, decisions are made by more than one council. In the county's case, the county council and the districts and borough councils share responsibilities. 

The Labour Government believes the simplification of local government structures will remove "wasteful duplication of services" and provide residents with a "clearer picture" of who to hold accountable locally. The reorganisation would also unlock greater powers and possibly cash for Leicestershire as it would have more responsibilities – a move known as devolution. 

All local authority areas are expected to have simplified their structures by the end of the current parliament, with the Government saying in December that it would be willing to consider postponing elections this year in areas where the reorganisation of local authorities was needed to unlock or enable devolution funding and powers. This would likely mean the end of the county's district and borough councils and could include Rutland's incorporation into the area. However, new proposals suggest that Leicester City Council could remain separate. 

A spokesperson for Rutland County Council said: "Discussions are still ongoing between Rutland County Council, Leicestershire County Council, Leicester City Council and Leicestershire's district councils about how best to enable devolution and shape these plans across our areas. Nothing has been decided yet." The council has also "sought to clarify its position regarding devolution and local government reorganisation" – for example whether it would be expected to join with Leicestershire – with the Government. 

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Cllr Waller said: "We believe it's important that equal weight and consideration be given to all options, as we consider things like boundaries. It's also important that clear evidence is weighed up around the benefits of these options, before adopting any new arrangements. 

"Reorganising local government has the potential to deliver efficiencies and there is a need to ensure councils are sustainable. However, the success of a council is heavily influenced by the critically important relationship between scale and physical geography. We cannot dismiss this. Councils work best when their boundaries reflect the way people live their lives, where they go to work, learn, shop, spend their leisure time and get healthcare." 

Rutland is not due to have its next local election until 2027, so it will not be impacted by any postponements.