THE GOVERNMENT’S rejection of a proposal to delay county council elections in Worcestershire has been welcomed by city councillors.
The government’s intention to devolve powers from Westminster to more local “Strategic Authorities” was announced in December, and Worcestershire County Council was among those to apply to be part of the first wave of the scheme.
The government says it would inject more cash into local services by getting rid of two-tier council systems.
In Worcestershire it would mean the abolishment of district and borough councils across the county and a single Worcestershire Unitary Authority set up in its place.
To allow for the changes to take place, elections set to take place in May could have been postponed.
But deputy prime minister Angela Rayner told MPs that Worcestershire had not been included in a shortlist of six selected for fast-track devolution.
Elections will be delayed in East and West Sussex, Essex and Thurrock, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey. Another 24 authorities will go to the polls as planned.
Despite the delay in some areas, Ms Rayner repeated the government’s call for unitary councils in every area across the county by the end of this parliament.
Legal invitations will now be sent out to all remaining two-tier areas, instructing them to submit proposals for new authorities.
She said: “Councillors of all types, including district councillors, tell me the two-tier system isn’t working.
“So alongside our wider reform, this government is committed to making simpler, more efficient and clearer structures so that residents can access good public services without eye-watering price tags.”
Worcester City Councillor Mel Allcott said she was pleased an attempt by county council leaders to postpone the democratic rights of the voters in Worcestershire had failed.
She continued: “It was inconceivable that the public could not have a say in whether these elections were postponed or not. No elected officials should ever try to speak for their constituents without receiving the mandate to do so first. It’s the bedrock of democracy and we heard from so many people who were outraged that their democratic rights were being ignored.”
