Keep local Government local!
In February the Government asked the councils in Leicestershire to put forward their proposals for Local Government Organisation. Three plans were put forward, Leicester City Council were suggesting a huge expansion of the city, Leicestershire County Council were proposing the city to remain the same size with one huge County Council around it. The proposal preferred by most people was the one put forward by the Liberal Democrats on the County Council and the District Councils, to have three new councils, all roughly the same size, catering for areas that are similar in demographics. This would keep decision making as local as possible, with people who know about the area, the history and the pride of the local people.
❗A consultation was launched in November 25 until March 2026, with 88% of respondents saying that they did not want to be part of the city. This equates to 9 out of 10 local people.
❗Most local MPs and Councillors are also against this proposal.
❗Over 200 people turned up at County Hall on 6th August to protest against the decision.
However, the Government decided to accept the proposal put forward by the City Council, which goes against the wishes of the majority of people.
This is not Democracy. It seems like we are having this change forced on us without peoples' views being taken into consideration.
We did not believe that local government reorganisation was necessary in the first place. We have seen in many other areas that it is a costly exercise, with many more years than expected to bed in, costing much more than they save and leaving residents more confused than before.
We believe that the proposal chosen will weaken our rural areas' identities, move decisions further away from the people they affect, leaving our community a low priority in a much larger organisation, where we will be fighting for funds.
A lot of people are not happy with this decision and want to tell the Government this. We have created a petition that will be sent off to Westminster.
If you would like to sign it you can using the link below:
Keep local government local - South Leicestershire Liberal Democrats