By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
Plans to postpone this May’s Gloucestershire County Council elections for a year to allow local government reorganisation have been blasted as “undemocratic”.
The Government unveiled plans in December to shake-up local government across England.
They say their proposals would give more powers to local areas. But it also proposes creating more unitary councils which, in Gloucestershire, would mean district councils would be abolished.
The government is looking at creating unitaries with a population of at least 500,000 and combined authorities areas with an elected mayor representing areas with around 1.5 million residents.
Gloucestershire is currently a two-tier area where local government responsibilities are split between the County Council and the district councils of Cheltenham, Gloucester, Cotswolds, Forest of Dean, Stroud and Tewkesbury.
Shire Hall’s Conservative leader Stephen Davies (Hardwicke and Severn) believes it is in the county’s best interest to take up the Government’s offer set out in the English Devolution White Paper.
Cllr Davies said last month that the county has to move quickly to benefit from what is on offer and not fall behind other parts of the country.
He plans to write a letter of intent and get it to ministers before the January 10 deadline and is considering requesting that the county elections are postponed until 2026/27 while the new unitary authority is created.
He said it is imperative to move with haste and such a decision would provide clarity and avoid local government staff from being in limbo more than a year as, otherwise, they may wish to go elsewhere.
But the Liberal Democrat leader of Gloucester City Council Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton) said he was shocked to learn of the proposal and believes it’s a “selfish ploy to cling onto power”.
If a unitary is created for the whole county, the City Council would be among those districts to be abolished.
And Cllr Hilton fears a rushed transfer of powers to a new local authority in 2026 would put at risk major regeneration projects in Gloucester.
“May 1, 2025 must be the day of elections to Gloucestershire County Council,” Cllr Hilton said.
“This is the last council in Gloucestershire controlled by the Conservatives – and it is a tired and tarnished administration.
“I was shocked to learn of the cynical attempt by Cllr Stephen Davies, the Conservative leader at the county council, who has said he will apply to the government to have the elections postponed. A selfish ploy to cling onto power well past his mandate.
“To use the publication of the government’s English Devolution White Paper as the reason to delay the elections for an extra year is incredible and undemocratic.
“It would in effect speed up the abolition of Gloucester City Council. Having scant regard as to how Gloucester will be governed into the future. No discussions have taken place with us around the future of local government in Gloucestershire.
“A rushed transfer of powers to a new local authority in 2026 would put at risk major regeneration projects that the city council is progressing. We need at least three years to complete several major projects.”
Cllr Hilton says the City Council must build new housing at Whitefriars and Wessex House, complete the letting of the Forum including the establishment of the new four-star hotel, and prioritise the restoration and repurposing of Spread Eagle Court.
“Not to forget the recent £11 million government grant towards the Greyfriars regeneration project that we have just started work on,” he said.
“The process of creating new councils in haste would lead to ill-considered local government reorganisation potentially hampering Gloucester’s future.
“Cllr Davies’ hurry to abolish Gloucester City Council, while attempting to overstay his welcome at Shire Hall, is unbelievable – what hypocrisy!”
But Cllr Davies has hit back at Cllr Hilton saying he does not understand the Labour Government’s white paper. He said delaying the elections is an option the County
Council is exploring but that it is not certain.
However, he believes any delay to the process of council reorganisation in Gloucestershire will not be good for the county.
He also blasted Cllr Hilton for scaremongering as the changes to local government would not impact existing projects in the city.
“Jeremy clearly does not understand the Labour Government’s White Paper on Devolution,” Cllr Davies said.
“Delaying the election in May is an option we are exploring but not certain. What is certain is that delaying this process is not good for Local Government staff and therefore Gloucestershire.
“Finally, this change does not impact existing projects, again that is a misunderstanding or scaremongering by Jeremy.”