Changes Would leave city With a powerless ‘parish council’

A damning verdict on the merger plans has come from a local government expert who says it could prove a disaster for Canterbury.

Dr Reg Race, who lives in the city, is a former MP, ex-chief executive of Derbyshire County Council and was once head of programmes at the Greater London Council, overseeing a £20 billion budget.

Now retired and chairman of the St Mildred’s Area Community Society, he fears the merger could result in Canterbury effectively being reduced to a parish council with no powers or money.

“In my opinion, it’s a real disaster and people need to wake up to it,” he said.

“How do you manage this great city without a strong local authority with relevant powers and cash and determination to act? You can’t.”

The merger is being driven by the need to save money in the face of cuts to government funding.

However, Dr Race, who ran a major company conducting staff and patient surveys for health trusts until his retirement, argues: “A mega council deal won’t save much money, will reduce accountability and increase remoteness.

“Neither will it solve the problem of relevance because it won’t have unitary authority powers and won’t be able to make a difference in the arenas that matter to local people.

“The likely replacement ‘authority’ for Canterbury City Council, in effect a parish council, will have almost no powers or money.”

“The chimera of creating a new parish council for Canterbury is not likely to satisfy the requirements of the city and should be seriously resisted.”

Reg Race, chairman of the St Mildred’s Area Community Society