Rutland County Council leader says the government’s aim for devolution is becoming clearer
The government’s aim for devolution and local government reorganisation is becoming clearer, writes leader of Rutland County Council leader Gale Waller (Lib Dem).
For readers in Stamford the “devolution” element has happened and you are electing your mayor in May. For those of us in Rutland, the situation is less clear.
We are being asked if we would like to form a combined authority (or Strategic Authority as they are increasingly being called) with Leicestershire County and Leicester City Councils and also to work with Leicestershire’s district councils to submit suggestions to replace our current local councils with large unitary authorities.
In discussions with other council leaders, I have made two things absolutely clear: the first is that Rutland will not be part of a pan-Leicestershire unitary council and the second is that the name “Rutland” must be retained. I have also said that decisions about new boundaries should be based on robust evidence and reflect the way people live their lives.
The evidence so far is indicating a Rutland and North Leicestershire unitary authority. Dividing Leicestershire North and South provides the best balance on issues such as population demographic, but further work is being done.
I could have refused to engage in this process, hoping that Rutland would be left alone, but this would have meant Rutland missing out on funding Strategic Authorities receive and would risk government abolishing us anyway. This committed me to talking to neighbouring authorities, Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat, to try and get plans agreed; nothing more.
If you want to know more, or tell us what you think at this early stage, you can do so via Rutland County Council’s website www.rutland.gov.uk/devolution.
I have been asked what will happen to Rutland as a ceremonial county if we are reorganised. I do not know but legislation will almost certainly be required to maintain it and so our MP will need to lead on this as our representative in parliament.
Some residents want to know if becoming part of a larger authority will reduce our council tax. Wouldn’t that be grand! The fact is it will be the new council which sets the level and as the law allows seven years for council tax to be harmonised, we may not see change very quickly. The new council, not the current ones, will also be responsible for determining its budget and how much it spends on services across its area.
It has also been suggested that councillors will become more remote from residents. Government and the boundary commission will determine the number of councillors in the new authority. It is unlikely we will have one per 1,500 residents, as we currently have in Rutland. The newer unitary councils have tended to have one councillor for c6,000 residents but in the UK our MPs aren’t considered remote yet they each represent c70k residents.
On a more positive note, Rutland’s cabinet has agreed to the next steps which will allow for the preservation and digitisation of the ichthyosaur discovered in Rutland in 2021; the largest complete ichthyosaur found in the UK to date. For anyone still unfamiliar with the discovery, you can learn more about it on the Natural History Museum’s website, by searching for Rutland Water ichthyosaur.
Rutland County Council successfully bid for government funding for the preservation and digitisation of the fossil (along with the digitisation of the Roman mosaic discovered in 2020). The digitisation of these artifacts will enable many people to experience them and we hope the ichthyosaur itself will be exhibited at Rutland Museum.
Unfortunately, the grant monies are insufficient to undertake the necessary repairs and alterations to the museum to house the ichthyosaur. By creating a museum and civic centre at the museum site, using money from the sale of buildings currently owned by RCC, we hope to be able to display the ichthyosaur for all Rutlanders to see and for it to attract tourists to our county.
