Agenda item

Motion: Local Government Reorganisation and the Name of Any Successor

Authority

A. This Council notes that:

1.    Local Government Reorganisation is being advanced by Central Government with the stated aim of replacing two-tier local government with larger unitary authorities.

2.    If reorganisation proceeds, South Kesteven District Council is likely to become part of a much larger unitary authority.

3.    Proposals under consideration include a successor authority comprising North Kesteven, South Kesteven and South Holland.

4.    Lincolnshire is not merely a compass-point geography, but a county of deep historic identities, including the historic Parts of Kesteven, Holland and Lindsey.

5.    Cabinet has already provided the Council’s formal response to Government concerning the suggested name for a successor authority as part of its representations on the detailed contents of the Structural Changes Order. This motion does not seek to overturn that decision rather it provides an opportunity for the wider body of Members to express their view on this issue and have that view communicated to Government.

B. This Council believes that:

1.    Local Government Reorganisation risks weakening local democracy by replacing councils rooted in recognisable communities with larger and more remote institutions.

2.    The suggested financial savings from reorganisation remain uncertain and must be weighed against transition costs, disruption to hard-working council officers, and the potential loss of local knowledge.

3.    South Kesteven, North Kesteven and South Holland are not administrative blank spaces to be tidied away by Whitehall. They are places with histories, loyalties, civic inheritance and names which matter.

4.    Any successor authority should have a name that reflects the historic geography, identity and civic inheritance of the area it serves.

5.    A generic compass-point name such as “South Lincolnshire Council” would not adequately reflect the historic identities of Kesteven and Holland.

6.    Should this Council’s ‘Best4GreaterLincolnshire’ LGR proposal be favoured by Government, the name of the successor authority comprising North Kesteven, South Kesteven and South Holland should be “Kesteven and Holland Council.”

7.    Should either of the ‘Greater Lincolnshire Local Government Reorganisation - People, Place, Prosperity’ or the ‘Your Lincolnshire’ LGR proposals be favoured by Government, the name of the successor authority of which South Kesteven will form part should be “Kesteven, Holland and Lindsey Council”

C. This Council therefore resolves to:

1.    Place on record its regret at the direction of travel towards Local Government Reorganisation and the potential abolition of district councils such as South Kesteven.

2.    Request that the Leader of the Council write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to make them aware that further to the Council’s formal representation on this issue (which remains unchanged), a majority of Members present at this meeting of Full Council have expressed the view that any successor authority should be named as set out in Paras. B(6)-B(7) of this motion.

3.    Invite other relevant councils to consider making the same representations to Central Government.

Councillor Ben Green proposed the following motion:

A. This Council notes that:

1.    Local Government Reorganisation is being advanced by Central Government with the stated aim of replacing two-tier local government with larger unitary authorities.

2.    If reorganisation proceeds, South Kesteven District Council is likely to become part of a much larger unitary authority.

3.    Proposals under consideration include a successor authority comprising North Kesteven, South Kesteven and South Holland.

4.    Lincolnshire is not merely a compass-point geography, but a county of deep historic identities, including the historic Parts of Kesteven, Holland and Lindsey.

5.    Cabinet has already provided the Council’s formal response to Government concerning the suggested name for a successor authority as part of its representations on the detailed contents of the Structural Changes Order. This motion does not seek to overturn that decision rather it provides an opportunity for the wider body of Members to express their view on this issue and have that view communicated to Government.

B. This Council believes that:

1.    Local Government Reorganisation risks weakening local democracy by replacing councils rooted in recognisable communities with larger and more remote institutions.

2.    The suggested financial savings from reorganisation remain uncertain and must be weighed against transition costs, disruption to hard-working council officers, and the potential loss of local knowledge.

3.    South Kesteven, North Kesteven and South Holland are not administrative blank spaces to be tidied away by Whitehall. They are places with histories, loyalties, civic inheritance and names which matter.

4.    Any successor authority should have a name that reflects the historic geography, identity and civic inheritance of the area it serves.

5.    A generic compass-point name such as “South Lincolnshire Council” would not adequately reflect the historic identities of Kesteven and Holland.

6.    Should this Council’s ‘Best4GreaterLincolnshire’ LGR proposal be favoured by Government, the name of the successor authority comprising North Kesteven, South Kesteven and South Holland should be “Kesteven and Holland Council.”

7.    Should either of the ‘Greater Lincolnshire Local Government Reorganisation - People, Place, Prosperity’ or the ‘Your Lincolnshire’ LGR proposals be favoured by Government, the name of the successor authority of which South Kesteven will form part should be “Kesteven, Holland and Lindsey Council”

C. This Council therefore resolves to:

1.  Place on record its regret at the direction of travel towards Local Government Reorganisation and the potential abolition of district councils such as South Kesteven.

2.  Request that the Leader of the Council write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to make them aware that further to the Council’s formal representation on this issue (which remains unchanged), a majority of Members present at this meeting of Full Council have expressed the view that any successor authority should be named as set out in Paras. B(6)-B(7) of this motion.

3.  Invite other relevant councils to consider making the same representations to Central Government.

The motion was seconded.

Members debated the motion.

A procedural motion ‘that the question be now put’ was proposed and seconded. The Chairman rejected the motion on the grounds that there were a number of Councillors who were waiting to speak to the motion.

Members continued to debate the motion.

Upon a vote, the motion FELL.

Note: Councillors David Bellamy, Barry Dobson and Richard Litchfield left the meeting.