Today the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed has announced the new authorities that will be established in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire as part of local government reorganisation.
The Government have chosen option Bii. This means there will be two unitary authorities in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. For Broxtowe this means that Beeston, Bramcote, Stapleford, Awsworth, Cossall and Trowell will become part of the new Greater Nottingham authority while Eastwood, Brinsley and Greasley will be part of a new Nottinghamshire County authority.
There will be elections to the new unitary councils in May 2027. These elections will replace any scheduled local elections, and affected councillors will have their terms extended. The new councils will come into force in April 2028. Each new authority will receive an unprecedented £900,000 for the cost of transition and up to £150,000 in supplementary funding to support Children’s Services, Adult Social Care and Public Health.
While I wholeheartedly support the aim of simplifying our local government structures, I am very disappointed that the chosen option will split up Broxtowe, separating Eastwood and Brinsley from the rest of the borough. I have consistently made the case that Broxtowe should be kept together, and I am concerned about the impact of splitting up areas that currently share services.
I remain very disappointed at the decision by Broxtowe Borough Council to refuse to put forward any proposal for Broxtowe. My colleagues have been able to make a positive case for the proposal backed by their local authority, while Broxtowe did not have any option on the table. I do not think this decision was in the best interests of Broxtowe, and made it clear to the Council from the very start that refusing to put forward an option for Broxtowe would curtail Broxtowe’s influence in the process and mean that other people would get to decide our future for us.
I would also like to address some of the rhetoric that has been present during the LGR process. I find it unacceptable that some local councillors have taken the opportunity to whip up division and create an us vs them divide between Broxtowe and Nottingham. I find this a completely inappropriate way to talk about our closest neighbours. People in Broxtowe work in Nottingham, send their children to school in Nottingham and vice versa. We use the same parks, buses and roads. We should look to unite our communities and work together for to make the most of our shared future.
My focus now is on ensuring that every part of Broxtowe, from Brinsley to Beeston sees the benefits of LGR and that every single resident has access to good quality services, whether they are in Greater Nottingham or Nottinghamshire.