PLANS to merge Worcestershire’s seven existing councils into two bigger unitary authorities have been paused.
The government wants to review the plans for a number of areas including Worcestershire after receiving new legal advice.
Several councils were considering legal challenges and Kent County Council was preparing to launch a judicial review, before the government announced it was putting the reorganisation programme on hold.
Ministers announced the decision to split Worcestershire into north and south unitary councils only last month.
LEADER: Matt Jenkins is the leader of Worcestershire County Council (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
This was a plan backed by five of the county’s six districts – Worcester, Wychavon, Malvern Hills, Redditch and Bromsgrove.
An alternative ‘One Worcestershire’ scheme for the whole county, backed by the county council and Wyre Forest, was rejected.
Now the whole programme is up in the air and plans to hold elections to a so-called ‘shadow authority’ – the precursor to a unitary authority – in May 2027 have been cancelled.
Instead, any local elections due to take place next May will go ahead on existing council boundaries, the government says.
Local government secretary Angela Rayner said: “I want to satisfy myself firstly that the right process is in place, that it is robust, and of course complies with the law.”
“And secondly, I want to fully test whether our proposals for local government reorganisation meet the priorities of a new administration and the new Prime Minister and any additional considerations.
“I do not take this lightly. I recognise the huge amount of work that has already gone into progressing reorganisation in each of these areas, and I am very grateful for it.”
The announcement will send shockwaves throughout Worcestershire’s councils.
Local government reorganisation (LGR) has been the main topic of debate in meetings since it was announced in December 2004 and has taken up huge amounts of councillor and officer time.
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Several senior councillors told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that major decisions including whether to increase council tax and the hiring and firing of staff have been made with LGR in mind – and that the process being paused will leave a lot of people not knowing where they stand.
A spokesperson for Worcestershire’s seven councils said: “While a review is undertaken, we are seeking urgent clarification on what this means for Worcestershire, the timetable we have been working towards, and the work already underway.”
“Until we receive that clarity, our priority remains delivering services for residents, businesses and communities across Worcestershire.”
“There is no immediate change to the services people receive, and residents should continue to contact their existing council in the usual way.”