STAFFORDSHIRE County Council’s leader has said he will seek to recover the costs of local government reorganisation if the shake-up does not go ahead.
Cllr Martin Murray told fellow councillors on the bill was already expected to run into millions of pounds for the county, despite plans being put on hold for the time being.
Last month the Government announced the changes – which would see Stoke-on-Trent City Council and county, district and borough authorities in Staffordshire replaced with northern and southern councils - was being paused and reviewed following updated legal advice.
The county is among one of 14 areas where local government reorganisation (LGR) has been put on hold. Decisions relating to four other areas – Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Hampshire – have been withdrawn completely.
Cllr Murray told a meeting of the county council:
"The sudden pausing, or some may say stalling, of local government reorganisation has left councils like Staffordshire in unnecessary and pointless limbo.
"While our priority remains to deliver the important day-to-day business of the council, we are urging the Government to halt LGR for good and focus on what was initially promised – and that’s devolution.
"We are calling on our MPs too to support us and the people and businesses of this county by making sure our voice is heard in Westminster. Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent need a strategic authority, a stronger voice and the power to make decisions locally – and not LGR."
Conservative opposition group leader Cllr Philip White said:
"What a terrible state of affairs on local government reorganisation. It’s almost as if the Government did this on the back of a cigarette packet when they brought it in.
"We can make a joke about it, but it’s no joke in terms of the waste of time, energy and money it’s subjected this council and others to.
"We are on pause, so we still don’t know what our situation is for the long term. It really is a worry we may be on pause for some point.
"But for now, we can all be happy that we’re not being subjected to LGR. If we’re not on pause and it doesn’t go ahead in the next couple of years, will we be seeking to recover our full costs from the Government for the utter waste of money that we have been subjected to here in Staffordshire?"
Cllr Murray responded:
"Absolutely. I have already stated clearly we will be seeking full remuneration. It has cost this county council – and all the borough and districts – the work our team did and planning consultancy fees.
"It will run into the millions for this whole county and it is disgraceful. One thing we need to remember is it’s all taxpayers’ money. Even if they pay us they are paying out of taxpayers’ money, so let’s remember that overall waste is for everybody.
"LGR has been a disaster for everyone, I think we can all agree on that. This pause in itself states exactly how bad the whole process has been.
"There is clearly a question to be answered – and that is why I have written to the Secretary of State Angela Rayner, stating our clear objections to the LGR plan and process here in Staffordshire. Our primary objective on that is the democratic fairness on the map they have given.
"Under the proposed north-south divide of 84 councillors for the north and 92 councillors for the south, councillors in Tamworth represent 1,915 more people per councillor than those in Stoke. That’s over 30% difference in how many constituents each councillor in the south has compared to the north.
"Every part of the south and mid-Staffs is losing out and it’s unfair, it’s unequal and undemocratic. Labour needs to explain that and I’ve made it quite clear. Once I’ve given the Secretary of State a chance to reply I will publish that letter very publicly to everybody."
In a letter to council leaders last month, Jim McMahon, Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth, said:
"We set out in the cabinet statement on Rewiring the State that local government structures are key to our devolution ambitions and filling the map. Effective and sustainable local government is vital to meeting our ambitions.
"However, the government has also listened to representations about the approach and pace of reorganisation. While we recognise there will always be a wide range of divergent views on the structure of councils, and so achieving perfect consensus will never be possible, now is the time to pause and reflect. It is important that this is done right.
"The review, which I will lead, will look at the programme as a whole and this will include reviewing the 14 decisions made in July. I do not take this lightly and recognise the huge amount of work that has already gone into progressing reorganisation, for which I am very grateful.
"I appreciate that this position will feel uncomfortable, but I believe it is right to consider these matters seriously and deeply given the significance of the decisions. I want to assure myself that this process is being done correctly and robustly."
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