North West Leicestershire District Council leader, Cllr Richard Blunt, is part of a joint statement after Leicestershire County Council's announcement that it is continuing with its proposal to create a single unitary authority.

Leaders of the seven district and borough councils in Leicestershire and Rutland County Council have today (Thursday) made their views known.

They say there has been no discussion with those councils - and their residents 'deserve better'.

The county has made a change from what it had previously suggested, and now is without any inclusion of Rutland.

However, the plans threaten the existence of the district councils, which could disappear as early as 2027.

The Leaders of the district councils and Rutland County Council said: "We are extremely disappointed that the County Council is continuing with its proposal to create one single unitary council for the whole of Leicestershire with no discussion or engagement with other councils. Our residents deserve better.

"This goes against the expectations of Ministers and the intent of the government's white paper on how it wishes to see local government reorganisation developed.

"We don't believe the current system is broken, but if it is to change then we believe one single county unitary serving 800,000 residents, one of the largest in the country, would be too remote, too cumbersome, too inaccessible and ultimately inefficient and unsustainable.

"It is pleasing to see that the County Council has at least listened to Rutland which has made it clear that it does not want to be part of a large, unwieldy single unitary for Leicestershire.

"This rehashed proposal doesn't address the expectation that change should be coterminous with health, fire and police or that the government expect local government reorganisation proposals that include Rutland."

The statement says that the district councils are collaborating to try and come up with an alternative before the end of March.

North West Leicestershire District Council in Coalville. Photo: Nub News

It adds: "Instead, the district councils in Leicestershire and Rutland County Council are working together and engaging with stakeholders to develop proposals which will deliver localised, high-quality, efficient and sustainable public services for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

"Our proposals, which we will submit before the deadline of 21 March 2025, will set out how many new councils would strike the right balance between size and maintaining a strong local connection to communities. We must, and we will, keep the local in local government.

"Any new unitary councils should reflect the way people live their lives in that area and be aligned to where people live, work, shop and play.

"We are therefore exploring options for smaller unitary authorities which will serve our local communities' needs better, but also enhance their future prosperity.

"Our proposals will be evidence-led and backed by engagement with local communities, businesses and organisations. We will ensure they all have a meaningful voice in the process.

"Local democratic accountability in any new structures is also important, elected members are representatives for communities they serve.

"As the first initial deadline is very tight, we are carrying out some initial engagement with stakeholders who represent a wide range of people, communities and sectors to help shape our interim plans.

"A more comprehensive package of public engagement will follow this summer, and Government will also carry out a consultation on any final proposal so there will be ample opportunity for people to get involved.

"We want what is best for our residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and our door remains open to the County Council to work together on achieving this."