Stalemate over councils shake-up as divisions deepen

A council leader has accused neighbouring authorities of seeking "political convenience" and "creating uncertainty" around an upcoming shake-up of local councils.

The government wants regions across England to submit a joint draft proposal in just under four weeks for local government reorganisation in their area.

But Derbyshire County Council's leader Barry Lewis has accused the county's district, borough and Derby City leaders of backing proposals that "lack clarity".

Several council leaders in Derbyshire have told the BBC a joint blueprint for a local government shake-up now looks unlikely, with two rival plans set to be submitted to the government.

It would mean the government must choose between a county council plan and another submitted by the districts, boroughs and city council.

The government has called on councils to make "every effort to work together to develop and jointly submit one proposal".

The government says millions could be saved with a more uniform approach that could see districts and boroughs scrapped.

Last week all of the county's district and borough councils alongside Derby City Council jointly released a statement saying they were exploring options that would see the creation of two new unitary councils, or a "north" and "south" Derbyshire.

The plans would see the county council and city council abolished alongside Derbyshire's eight districts and boroughs.

It is also understood the councils are considering three unitaries, the third being a "mid-Derbyshire" option, though this was not mentioned in the statement.

"The options under consideration clearly meet the criteria...in particular a population size of c. 500,000", they said.

The government has recommended a population of "500,000 or more".

It is thought the consultancy firm KPMG is now carrying out assessments on behalf of the councils before a final option is decided upon for government submission.

The councils in their statement also took aim at Derbyshire County Council's preferred option for a county-wide authority that keeps the city separate, claiming it would "lead to the inefficient delivery of services" and an oversized population of around 800,000.

They also argued it would "effectively doughnut" Derby city.

However, Lewis told the BBC their approach "lacked clarity".

"While they talk of 'exploring options', it is still unclear whether they have settled on a proposal that is viable, coherent, or widely agreed upon,” he said.

"Rather than creating uncertainty, we need a clear and transparent discussion about what is best for Derbyshire's residents—not just what is politically convenient."

The county council is the only authority where the Conservatives are in power in Derbyshire.

Apart from the Derbyshire Dales which is a Liberal Democrat-led coalition, all other councils are Labour controlled.

Derby City Council's Labour leader Nadine Peatfield hit back at the claims, telling the BBC that the involvement of the Dales in the discussions was proof that "it's not about politics, it's about what's right".

"There is no uncertainty...we are looking at a very different relationship between two equally balanced and equally matched unitary councils that collaborate, not dictate."

The other leaders also accused Lewis in their statement of declining to attend a meeting to discuss a joint approach.

One told the BBC the Conservative leader had been "blanking" them.

"We can take a horse to water, but we can't make it drink", they said.

"Right through this process [Lewis] has not wanted to engage with us whatsoever."

Lewis denies he has been refusing meetings, insisting he has "always been open to engagement".

He added: "Derbyshire County Council has been clear from the outset that we believe a whole-county unitary authority, excluding Derby City, offers the best long-term solution."

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