I am still reeling after the announcement that, in many areas, local government reorganisation (LGR) will be paused for six weeks, following legal challenges.
I have frequently raised concerns about LGR, but never in my wildest dreams did this scenario occur.
The time that was spent dealing with LGR could count for nothing.
Millions of pounds of public money have effectively been poured down the drain – money that could have been spent on other services, and promoting growth, a key aim of this Government.
In short, the Government could have taken a liberal approach.
“Millions of pounds of public money have been poured down the drain”
Rather than forcing councils to merge into unitaries and have a ‘strategic’ mayor, the Government could have let councils decide their form of governance.
The announcement by ministers of a pause points to the danger of trying to micro-manage local government from Whitehall. A wiser government would have not set itself up for this fall.
In fact, a previous Labour government came to the conclusion that LGR was not ‘worth the candle’ and dropped plans to force unitary councils on all parts of England.
At the time of writing, nobody knows for sure what will happen now – but the Liberal Democrat Group will continue to do all we can to support genuine devolution and we’ll work constructively with colleagues going forward.