Lords statement on local government reorganisation.

Lords statement on local government reorganisation.

My Lords, I thank the Minister for the opportunity to ask questions on this Statement. On these Benches, several of us have run unitary councils. We recognise the potential for improved efficiencies and better delivery for residents. However, that must be done on the basis of genuine communities and geographies,...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for the opportunity to ask questions on this Statement. On these Benches, several of us have run unitary councils. We recognise the potential for improved efficiencies and better delivery for residents. However, that must be done on the basis of genuine communities and geographies,...

My Lords, there are some deeply worrying elements in the Statement. First, it was issued on the final day before the Commons Recess. A momentous decision of that purport should be the subject of detailed scrutiny but that has been deliberately avoided. Secondly, the announcement has been made by a...

My Lords, there are some deeply worrying elements in the Statement. First, it was issued on the final day before the Commons Recess. A momentous decision of that purport should be the subject of detailed scrutiny but that has been deliberately avoided. Secondly, the announcement has been made by a...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, and the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, for their questions and comments on the local government reorganisation Statement.

I will begin with the timeline that has led us to the decisions announced on 16 July, because it is important that we...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, and the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, for their questions and comments on the local government reorganisation Statement.

I will begin with the timeline that has led us to the decisions announced on 16 July, because it is important that we...

My Lords—

My Lords—

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My Lords, I declare my interest as a vice-president of the LGA. It is very encouraging to see how keen the Liberal Democrats are to scrutinise the Government. Given the inconsistent approach to last week’s reorganisation announcements, can the Minister please confirm whether officials advised Ministers that an expansion of...

My Lords, I declare my interest as a vice-president of the LGA. It is very encouraging to see how keen the Liberal Democrats are to scrutinise the Government. Given the inconsistent approach to last week’s reorganisation announcements, can the Minister please confirm whether officials advised Ministers that an expansion of...

When we took these decisions, we were very aware that some of the councils involved were already receiving exceptional financial support. We continue to work with those councils through the EFS process in the usual way, but LGR will save money over time and make the sector more sustainable in...

When we took these decisions, we were very aware that some of the councils involved were already receiving exceptional financial support. We continue to work with those councils through the EFS process in the usual way, but LGR will save money over time and make the sector more sustainable in...

Can my noble friend provide some details and facts? She may not be able to answer now, but I would like her to do so in writing. The Statement claims that there will be very substantial savings from this operation—savings of £1 billion are mentioned at one point—but it is...

Can my noble friend provide some details and facts? She may not be able to answer now, but I would like her to do so in writing. The Statement claims that there will be very substantial savings from this operation—savings of £1 billion are mentioned at one point—but it is...

The estimate of the savings came from the work that the local authorities did themselves. I accept that there will be a great deal of work to be done through the process as we transition to these unitary authorities. But, quite frankly, I have worked in a two-tier authority in...

The estimate of the savings came from the work that the local authorities did themselves. I accept that there will be a great deal of work to be done through the process as we transition to these unitary authorities. But, quite frankly, I have worked in a two-tier authority in...

My Lords, the Prime Minister said yesterday:

“We will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land so that they can do more”.

Indeed, the Minister said the very same thing a moment ago. Yet this Statement centralises power into unitary councils; it does not devolve...

My Lords, the Prime Minister said yesterday:

“We will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land so that they can do more”.

Indeed, the Minister said the very same thing a moment ago. Yet this Statement centralises power into unitary councils; it does not devolve...

My Lords, the noble Lord was part of the discussions on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which set out clearly the role of town and parish councils as we develop neighbourhood governance processes. I went to the National Association of Local Councils—NALC—conference recently and spoke to them, and...

My Lords, the noble Lord was part of the discussions on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which set out clearly the role of town and parish councils as we develop neighbourhood governance processes. I went to the National Association of Local Councils—NALC—conference recently and spoke to them, and...

My Lords, it is obvious that you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs, but this seems to have left rather a lot of shell in there, if we listen to the complaints from around the country. Can the Minister confirm that, if the new Prime Minister’s focus for the...

My Lords, it is obvious that you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs, but this seems to have left rather a lot of shell in there, if we listen to the complaints from around the country. Can the Minister confirm that, if the new Prime Minister’s focus for the...

I am grateful to the noble Lord for mentioning our new Prime Minister, because he is quite keen on devolution—that might have something to do with his background in the last few years. I am sure he will want to see those building blocks of strong unitary authorities in place...

I am grateful to the noble Lord for mentioning our new Prime Minister, because he is quite keen on devolution—that might have something to do with his background in the last few years. I am sure he will want to see those building blocks of strong unitary authorities in place...

My Lords, I warmly congratulate the Minister and the Government on their decision to extend the boundaries of the city of Leicester. Does she agree with me that its current boundaries are absurd and should have been extended years ago, as half of what is really the city is presently...

My Lords, I warmly congratulate the Minister and the Government on their decision to extend the boundaries of the city of Leicester. Does she agree with me that its current boundaries are absurd and should have been extended years ago, as half of what is really the city is presently...

I am grateful to my noble friend, as ever, particularly for his championing of Leicestershire, which he does admirably.

The Government were always clear that boundary changes could be considered where there is a strong justification. Where proposals set out a credible case, we have considered them on their merits....

I am grateful to my noble friend, as ever, particularly for his championing of Leicestershire, which he does admirably.

The Government were always clear that boundary changes could be considered where there is a strong justification. Where proposals set out a credible case, we have considered them on their merits....

My Lords, the Labour Party has a record of trying to destroy what it regards as Tory support, particularly in the shires. We saw that with its cack-handed approach to regional assemblies, which got nowhere. I do not know how well the Minister knows Devon, my county, but she has...

My Lords, the Labour Party has a record of trying to destroy what it regards as Tory support, particularly in the shires. We saw that with its cack-handed approach to regional assemblies, which got nowhere. I do not know how well the Minister knows Devon, my county, but she has...

I am going to sound a bit like a stuck record, but the proposals came forward from the local authorities themselves.

I am going to sound a bit like a stuck record, but the proposals came forward from the local authorities themselves.

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Well, we looked at all the proposals that were submitted and we assessed them. Noble Lords opposite can laugh if they want. I have been through this whole exercise of assessing every proposal that came forward against the criteria set for them. We did that fairly against the criteria that...

Well, we looked at all the proposals that were submitted and we assessed them. Noble Lords opposite can laugh if they want. I have been through this whole exercise of assessing every proposal that came forward against the criteria set for them. We did that fairly against the criteria that...