WEST WORCESTERSHIRE MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has warned that local government could be plunged into chaos as the Government resumed plans to abolish local district councils but still hold elections to them.
Ministers are pressing on with controversial plans to get rid of hundreds of local councillors and instead create two entirely new councils to represent the north and the south of the county.
Dame Harriett has been a strong critic of the bungled reorganisation plan which has been subject to criticism from MPs across the country.
In July, the Worcestershire split was announced, then in September it was paused and now the Local Government Minister Jim McMahon has written to council leaders announcing that district council elections will still go ahead next May, followed by shadow elections the year after but the two new unitary authorities will commence in 2029. There is no sign of a Mayor election at any time in the foreseeable future of this Parliament.
Dame Harriett said: “Despite the Prime Minister’s tedious fixation with devolution, he is sticking with plans to strip away local accountability on issues like housing development and abolish a whole layer of local democracy.
“Getting rid of high-performing councils like Wychavon seems ridiculous and it isn’t something that my constituents either understand or support.
“Instead a lot of public money will be spent creating two brand new councils and there is a huge risk that the current councils and their officers will be plunged into chaos and uncertainty.
“People in West Worcestershire just want their roads repaired, their bins collected, a say on planning, some buses and access to good schools.
“This second u-turn means the Government has gone full circle and is pursuing the split after all. Instead of focusing on delivering services people need, councils are preparing for a change that looked to be in doubt but is now suddenly back on. Councillors will be elected to a body that won’t exist and all for what?
“I am exasperated by the Government’s mishandling of its local government reforms which are all cost and no benefit, much like the national government.”
