North West Leicestershire District Council has welcomed the decision to go ahead with local elections this May - but says it still has 'grave concerns' over the prospect of a single unitary council for the county.

It was announced in the House of Commons today that County Council elections would be held this Spring after all - despite a call to delay them for 12 months.

That news was met with a joint statement from the leaders of the district and borough councils in Leicestershire - including Cllr Richard Blunt of NWLDC.

The message clearly says that the councils want to 'keep the local in local government'.

The statement reads: "We welcome the Government's decision to continue with the county council elections this year.

North West Leicestershire District Council leader, Cllr Richard Blunt

"This provides a more achievable timetable to develop proposals for a future local government structure for Leicestershire and Rutland.

"Importantly, it provides more time to engage and consult with our communities about how we move forward. Your voice must be heard in this process.

"Our communities are at the forefront of our minds when planning how best to deliver services in the future, not only to make sure they feel connected and able to influence those decisions, but also retain a sense of pride in the places they live and work. That is clearly important to people.

"It will also provide more time to gather the evidence to support our proposals which we are confident will deliver savings to ensure funding is channelled towards frontline services. The district councils are working together on these plans.

"We have already made it clear that we have grave concerns over Leicestershire County Council's proposals for a single unitary council for Leicestershire. With a population of around 750,000 people and 800-square miles of countryside including many towns and villages, it would be one of the biggest unitary authorities in the country.

"This would be too remote, too cumbersome and inaccessible, from the communities we serve.

"For the sake of our communities, we must keep the local in local government."