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Gloucestershire Business News

DEVOLUTION: Gloucestershire leaders at odds over whether to divide or unite

Dissent has risen up in Gloucestershire over whether the county should be split in two during devolution or evolved into a 'mega council'.

Council leaders are at odds over the future leadership of the area with Lib Dem bosses in Gloucester and Tewkesbury speaking out this week against the idea of creating two unitary authorities when Government reforms take place.

But their counterparts in Cheltenham and the Cotswolds favour the idea to divde the county into east and west - which was touted earlier this month by Gloucestershire Labour  and backed by five of the county's MPs.

Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Lib Dem leader in Gloucester, said dividing the county could weaken the city as communities would be fractured off into the new areas.

He has instead pleaded for a 'Greater Gloucester Council' to be created as part of the reforms which he said would unlock funding for larger projects such as infrastructure improvements, new housing developments, and public amenities.

"A larger Gloucester could attract greater business investment by presenting itself as a single, cohesive council with clear leadership and growth potential," he added.

The Greater Gloucester area has a population of around 175,000 and is predicted to grow in the next few years as new housing developments take shape.

Cllr Hilton said a 'unified voice' would "unlock its full potential" whereas dividing it up would see the city lose part of its identity.

"Splitting Gloucestershire down the middle would see communities such as Churchdown, Brockworth, Innsworth and Longford become part of an east Gloucestershire council with places like Tetbury and Cirencester," said Cllr Hilton.

He added: "Many of these communities on the outskirts of Gloucester identify historically, socially and culturally with the city and have far more in common than they do with other parts of the county.

"In recent years thousands of new homes have been built in these areas and many more are planned to meet Gloucester's housing needs.

"It makes sense for these communities to be brought together as one, either as a new 'Greater Gloucester Council' or as part of a larger unitary authority."

Meanwhile, Cllr Richard Stanley, Lib Dem leader of Tewkesbury Borough Council, said a divide would mean "confusion" for residents.

He believes the "optimal" outcome is for Gloucestershire to remain intact when it moves to a single unitary.

His view was backed in a vote by his fellow councillors at a full council meeting on Tuesday (Jan 28). They also voted to drop plans to change the council's name to North Gloucestershire Borough Council.

"This council does not want to see the break-up of Gloucestershire," said Cllr Stranley. "By keeping the county as a whole, we'd see the creation of strong parish, town and city councils and the Government has said we would see increased investment for improving existing services.

"Splitting the area in two could mean that different parts of Gloucestershire manage highways, health and social care, education, waste and recycling, and planning rules in different ways, which could cause more confusion among our hard-working residents - and they deserve better.

"Keeping Gloucestershire intact will ignite and see sustainable growth, delivering better outcomes for residents.''

Central government revealed its reforms for local councils  in the English Devolution White Paper in early December 2024.

In Gloucestershire it would see the six district councils axed and potentially replaced by a single unitary authority for the whole county.

Ther Labour-led Government expects all two-tier areas to develop proposals for reorganisation and will enact the reform in two phases with the first aiming to have new unitary councils operating by April 2027 and the second tranche by April 2028.

Debate over the issue has thrown the county politicians into discord with Gloucestershire Labour and MPs for Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud, Forest of Dean and South Cotswold backing a plan to create two unitary authorities. The east would comprise Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and The Cotswolds and the west Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean.

Cllr Joe Harris, Lib Dem leader of Cotswold District Council, said he supports the idea.

"Two unitary authorities in Gloucestershire are my preferred outcome of any local government reorganisation in the county and should be seriously explored if the Government give us until the Autumn to explore options," he said.

"A new Gloucestershire-wide mega council would be perceived as the County Council re-branded and in effect that is what it would be. Do we really want the organisation responsible for our terrible road surfaces and failing children's services running housing, planning and bin collections?

"Two councils based on an east and west split would have the scale required to make services more efficient and also be able to maintain a local link between residents and their representatives which a mega council wouldn't."

Councillor Rowena Hay, leader at Cheltenham Borough Council, is in agreement but said any reform must be done through "genuine collaboration".

She said: ''Our county is diverse and made up of 650,000 people across urban, suburban and rural areas. Any reform of local government should follow a period of proper consultation with residents, businesses and elected representatives.

''I am ambitious for Cheltenham and for Gloucestershire and I want to work with the Government on the proposed White Paper.

"We have to carefully consider and create genuine collaboration to come up with considered proposals for a way forward, based on what is best for residents; this could be two unitary authorities or one, with my personal preference being the two unitary authorities model.''

Earlier this month Gloucestershire County Council voted to push forward with proposals to join phase one and be one of the first authorities to go through the reform despite criticism that there had not been enough consultation with borough councillors and the public.

At the time Tory leader Cllr Stephen Davies said the idea of splitting Gloucestershire was "outrageous". He also requested the Government allow the county elections in May to be postponed for a year despite widespread dissent from borough councils.

The Government is expected to announce soon whether Gloucestershire has been invited to join the Devolution Priority Programme.

A spokseperson for Gloucestershire County Council said it has not heard back regarding its request to postpone the elections.

Punchline has contacted the county council for a response to Cllr Harris' comments.

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