News has come out this week about a proposed merger between all the district councils within Leicestershire. This will mean that Blaby District Council, Charnwood Borough Council, Harborough District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Melton Borough Council, North West Leicestershire District Council, and also, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council will essentially no longer exist. I totally feel that this is appropriate for an area which has lacked so much funding for many years. I grew up here and it has literally been like that for as long as I can remember. Separated, these district and borough councils do NOT have the resources for the residents in their areas. They have been letting residents down in a variety of different ways due to lack of funding for the localised councils for many years.
Of course, the higher ups within those district and borough councils, which have spoken out about their utter disagreement of the ‘merger’ are going to have those views. Cutting the number of localised councils may mean that some, if not most of them, will lose their current jobs. I think it’s time that they started thinking about what is best for the residents within their localised areas.
We have a rising population in the whole of the county and city combined. The former systems can no longer cope with the amount of demand on their services. A ‘super council’ would be much more beneficial in this modern society. I haven’t heard the in’s and out’s of the plans because I have been quite busy and only heard things in passing this week.
However, I have a suggestion which I am positively sure would be extremely beneficial to the whole of the county and the city (especially the county because the funding has always been scarce over here, despite being a wider area). Leicester City receives a vast amount more funding than the county despite it’s area coverage being small compared to the county. It certainly won’t be easy combining everything into one Council. But, this is what we need for the issues that we are now facing as a county and a city. Leicestershire County Council, all the district/borough councils and Leicester City Council has money allocated to it. The whole of those funds combined when they join up could be extremely useful for sorting out things that aren’t getting the appropriate funding under the separate councils at this moment in time. I think that if they haven’t thought of this aspect already. Then they should develop this into their plan.
It’s alright scrapping the district/borough councils but a merger (although to me it seems more like they’re dissolving them all into one) of all the funds from those councils as well as turning it into a super council…. let’s call it Leicestershire and Leicester City Council abbreviated to something like LLCC is actually a positive step for an area that has been so mismanaged and underfunded for many years. All the parts of the councils and city council can put their money budgets together and allocate it to different things throughout the county and city.
This could work well for the county and city if they merge their councils and budgets. I think that the people in authority that are just being really reluctant to the idea should open their minds and see the potential. We could completely change this area to a place which is profitable and helps the most vulnerable without lack of uncombined budgets preventing these much needed positive changes. There needs to be faith that changes like these could completely change the whole of Leicestershire and Leicester City for the better and give it’s residents a much better quality of life due to the changes, the budgets being combined and actually providing the services that aren’t able to run now due to separate councils not having enough. Leicester City’s budget could be very helpful for those of us in the county as they do get a lot more than us and always have done.
I urge the government and those in charge of potentially making this happen to really consider making these proposals a reality.
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