“Fuming” protesters are to demand that a Leicestershire leader probe the Government about why residents’ views on the controversial city expansion were not considered more fully.
At a meeting of Charnwood Borough Council (CBC) due to take place on Monday (August 17), members in opposition to the Labour-run administration are set to challenge its response to a council shake-up known as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
In July, Westminster confirmed that Leicestershire’s existing structure of governance will be replaced with two councils – one for an expanded Leicester area and another for the rest of the county.
For Charnwood, this means that 45,000 people – around a quarter of the total population – will be under city rule from April 2028.
Data released following the decision showed that 87 per cent of surveyed residents disagreed with a city expansion, leading CBC’s Conservative members to question the extent to which democracy was in play during the Government’s decision-making process.
In the meeting, they will raise a motion requesting that borough leader Councillor Jewel Miah (Labour) ask the Government for a “full and transparent explanation” of why the selected proposal was chosen despite the “very low” support from residents.
Among the nine listed demands, protesters also urge Cllr Miah to reaffirm the council’s commitment to achieving local government arrangements which “respect community identity”.
In a rare turn away from their usual coalition with the Labour cabinet, the borough’s Green Party members are expected to support the motion and attend a protest which is planned for before the meeting.
Protesters are expected to gather outside Loughborough Town Hall from around 4.45pm.
Head of Charnwood Conservatives Councillor Jenny Bokor said: “What was the point of doing the whole exercise if at the end of the day the Government totally ignored the resident survey and went with what we think was a predetermined decision?
“This consultation cost our councils huge amounts of money – and yet it doesn’t seem to have made any impact whatsoever.
“All of those councils are absolutely fuming because it was supposed to be a democratic process and it’s far from being that.”
According to legislation, the Secretary of State cannot implement a proposal unless they have properly consulted affected authorities and other appropriate people.
This consultation engaged more than 6,000 Leicestershire residents, but the weight given to those answers was not disclosed in the Government’s summary.
Explaining the decision to proceed with LGR, the then Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, argued that creating two balanced authorities will help shift power into local communities and meet housing demand.
He said: “We need to devolve power out of Whitehall so that we can rebalance wealth, power and opportunity across our country. But devolution must be built on strong local councils that can deliver good public services, support growth, and remain closely connected to the communities they serve.
“Reorganisation provides us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that councils genuinely represent the communities they serve today and stand the test of time.
“Leicester’s current boundary is severely constrained, which is limiting the city’s ability to increase housing supply and meet its housing and employment land needs.
“My selected option will best address this, with the requested boundary changes (excepting part-parishes) and expansion to the city potentially unlocking land to provide thousands of new homes and many hectares of employment land in the next 20 years, which will help address unmet local housing need and in turn support long-term economic growth.”
He added that he was aware of “strong” opposition to a boundary expansion, but maintained that it is “justified”.
By Caitlin James, Local Democracy Reporter