City merger with Gedling and Broxtowe favoured?

THE county council has confirmed that it backs a proposal to merge Nottingham City Council with authorities in Gedling and Broxtowe.

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According to papers released ahead of Tuesday's full council meeting, leader Mick Barton will ask councillors to approve the move as the preferred option for plans to shake up local authorities.

In December, the Labour Government's English Devolution White Paper announced plans to reorganise two-tier local authorities - including Nottinghamshire - where responsibilities are split between county and district councils to create new, larger, single-tier, unitary authorities.

All nine of Nottinghamshire’s councils discussed three core reorganisation options in March to form a submission to the government that same month.

In June, the Government provided interim feedback on the plans.

The core options in Nottinghamshire were reduced to two, although councils can still submit alternative options before November. One option combines Nottingham, Broxtowe and Gedling. The second combines Nottingham, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe. A second unitary authority for the rest of the county is featured in both options.

Earlier in August, Cllr Barton told the local democracy reporting service that his personal view was that the option combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Gedling as one unitary was best based on “evidence”.