More calls to abandon proposal to merge councils

FRESH calls to abandon plans to scrap Hinckley and Bosworth borough came from East Midlands Liberal Democrats.

The group passed a motion opposing the plans for a single council for Leicestershire and the dissolution of the county’s borough and district councils.

Proposing the motion was councillor Michael Mullaney who represents Hinckley De Montfort on Leicestershire County Council.

He said: “One unitary authority for Leicestershire would centralise decision making too much.

“People in Hinckley don’t want planning decisions for Hinckley taken by a remote authority in Glenfield.

“Leicestershire and large county.

“One authority would not be suitable for taking decisions across places as diverse as Coalville, Melton, Hinckley and Loughborough.

“There is huge opposition to the plans for one unitary authority in Leicestershire. is a diverse

“Rather than waste huge amounts of public money and council officer time pursuing his goal of one unitary council for Leicestershire it’s time for the Leicestershire Tory County Council leader Nick Rushton to cut his losses and drop these flawed plans.”

The condemnation follows a joint letter from several MPs sent to Cllr Rushton asking him to shelve the plans and not to spend any more on exploring the idea.

Cllr Rushton said he was disappointed with their response to the plans and that he looked forward to hearing what taxpayers think.