Following prolonged pressure on the Government to scrap the decision to place Rushcliffe into an expanded Nottingham City Council, Rushcliffe Conservatives have welcomed the latest Government U-turn to ‘pause’ the process following legal advice.
Cllr Neil Clarke MBE, Leader of the Conservative Group and Leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, told the Wire:
“It is fantastic news that the pressure we have been putting on the Government has paid off.
“Now we need the Government to formally scrap the decision once and for all.
“We hope the Labour Government comes out and apologises to the residents of Rushcliffe for the hurt and distress it has caused.
“We have members of staff who have left Rushcliffe Borough Council and many others who have spent months worrying about their jobs, and the Government needs to recognise this.”
Councillor Jonathan Wheeler, Chairman of Rushcliffe Conservatives, added:
“I am delighted that our campaigns have embarrassed the Government into this sudden pause.
“With over 20,000 signatures on the two petitions we launched, and from the hundreds of conversations we have had, it was clear that virtually everyone was against the move to put us into the city.
“My view all along was that this was done to bail out the Labour-run Nottingham City Council, and there was no benefit for Rushcliffe residents.
“We now ask everyone who has not yet signed our latest petition calling on the Government to perform a U-turn to please do so. Let’s continue to show the Government that we do not want to be forced into a new Nottingham City Council.”
