Calls are growing for a Leicestershire authority to join the legal battle against a major city expansion, despite warnings it could potentially cost taxpayers “a fortune”.
Multiple councils across Leicestershire are currently preparing for a potential legal battle over the planned city expansion – a process known as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) – but not every authority appears keen to get involved.
Charnwood Borough Council (CBC) is among those which haven’t joined in issuing a pre-action letter to the Government regarding an expansion of the city boundary.
However, calls are increasing from opposition parties to get the Labour minority-led administration to step up and join the battle – despite warnings from its leader that it must remain “pragmatic” and that the process could potentially cost “a fortune”.
Councillor Jewel Miah, the authority’s leader, has faced calls from Conservative and Green Party councillors to stop “remaining neutral” and start the legal process before it’s too late.
It follows news that multiple councils in Leicestershire – Leicestershire County Council, Blaby District Council, Harborough District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, North West Leicestershire District Council and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council – have all confirmed they sent a pre-action letter to the Government regarding a potential judicial review of LGR.
Charnwood – along with a minority of other councils in Leicestershire – has yet to do so.
Cllr Miah said that those councils were “racking up financial costs” and that Charnwood was taking a “pragmatic” approach.
He said: “Sometimes the politics gets in the way of the wider picture. That’s why we didn’t join the East Midlands Combined County Authority – and we’re suffering for it as a consequence.”
Cllr Miah said that those councils were “racking up financial costs” and that Charnwood was taking a “pragmatic” approach.
He said: “Sometimes the politics gets in the way of the wider picture. That’s why we didn’t join the East Midlands Combined County Authority – and we’re suffering for it as a consequence.”
Cllr Miah said he felt the conversation around LGR was “one-sided” and didn’t talk about the benefits of the process.
He added: “It’s all about a city takeover rather than talking about the benefits of having those larger councils being able to move money around departments, being able to fund social care, being able to fund children’s care and being able to do our highways and infrastructure, which is needed.”
On the cost of LGR, Cllr Miah said legal fees could run into “the high six figures”, according to advice he has received from council officers.
He continued: “Balanced by the fact that other councils and districts have put in that legal challenge, we will be affected by that outcome no matter what we do.
“I think it’s too early to wait for the review to be over and look at our next step. It may be that it is a legal challenge, but we have to be realistic.”
At a council meeting in August, councillors voted in favour of writing to the Government about the “undemocratic” way LGR was carried out, citing the “overwhelming response” against the city expansion following a motion.
Since then, the Government has confirmed it is pausing LGR in the city and county – but it hasn’t stopped councils from laying down a potential legal challenge in the future.
Now, opposition councillors at CBC are becoming increasingly frustrated with the council’s “neutral” approach to the matter and are looking for ways to force it to take a more proactive approach before it’s too late.
Cllr Naomi Bottomley, leader of the Green Party in Charnwood, said her party was looking at “pushing the issue further” and would welcome “any party” that wished to help push the start of a potential legal challenge.
She added: “We don’t feel the Labour administration has done enough. We’re really not happy to be neutral on the situation.
“I think it’s too big a deal to start really going into party politics on it. We just want the best for our residents. They have been very clear about this, and we need to make sure we’re pushing their voice.
“This [pre-action letter] is the next step in that.”
Cllr Bottomley said she accepted that any potential legal letter would have “a cost to it”, but that it was important that residents were heard.
Similar calls are also being made by the borough council’s Conservative leader, Cllr Jenny Bokor, who said she believes the authority should join the other district and borough councils.
She also said “conversations” were under way with the Green Party and that further legal steps were “definitely on the table”.
She added: “I can’t tell you how we’re going to do it because I need him [Cllr Miah] to be as transparent as possible.
“We are cut off at every corner when we try to progress this for the benefit of our residents, and I don’t think Cllr Miah represents the residents in Charnwood.
“Residents have asked me what we are going to do, and I would like to join in the legal challenge if I were leader.”
Residents previously said that they felt “blatantly ignored” by the process. However, the LDRS hit the streets of Loughborough to see if residents thought the borough council should get involved.
One Loughborough couple, who did not wish to be named, said they’d rather “council tax not go up” than have it spent on a potential legal challenge.
They said: “I’m quite happy with the borough council. I don’t know whether I agree with the expansion.
“They can spend the money here instead. They’ve just done Queen’s Park and we use it a lot. It’s absolutely fantastic and our grandchildren use it a lot.
“I’d rather have my council tax pay for that. Local issues concern us more.”
Another Birstall resident, who did not wish to be named, said she was conflicted about the city expansion.
She added: “I don’t know an awful lot about it.
“But my gut reaction is I’d rather stay as we are. I don’t really see any benefits of Charnwood getting into the mix with this.
“I’m against the city expansion, but I don’t know, I really don’t know, because they haven’t done anything yet about it.
“But it might be a losing battle for them if they do.”
By Chris Harper, Local Democracy Reporter