'No Derby City Council in a couple of years' says deputy leader

COUNCILLOR SPEAKS OUT AS THE AUTHORITY SETS UP A NEW VEHICLES CONTRACT

- By NIGEL SLATER Local democracy reporter

DERBY City Council will not exist in a couple of years time, the authority's deputy leader has said.

Councillor Paul Hezelgrave spoke out when the city's Labour administration was finalising plans to draw up a new outsourcing contract for the council's heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

But discussion soon moved to what its vehicles fleet would look like in the long term should major plans to reform local government get the go-ahead.

Mr Hezelgrave told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday: "My initial reaction to that is, in a couple of years time there will not be a Derby City Council. There won't be all this collection just for the city - it will be for a much larger footprint and we will need to look at what demand that imposes."