City could swallow up 5 towns

NEW OPTION EMERGES FOR AN EXPANDED NOTTINGHAM IN GOVERNMENT SHAKE-UP

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

FIVE towns being absorbed by Nottingham City Council is the latest potential option for a huge shakeup of the area's boundaries.

The Labour-run authority says no final decisions have been made and it has not officially proposed the plan, but a neighbouring council leader claimed Nottingham expanding to cover West Bridgford, Beeston, Hucknall, Arnold and Carlton was possible.

Newark and Gedling’s councils have also had their say on a plan that could see them joining up with Rushcliffe. All the potential options are part of a local government reorganisation (LGR) as the Government aims to simplify local government and save money.

The Government wants to have a smaller number of councils covering bigger populations and it means the city council, county council and all seven district and borough councils could be abolished.

Discussions have been under way since December about how the political map should look in future. The main options on the table include leaving the city council as it is and having one new council covering the rest of Nottinghamshire. The other two options include some form of city expansion, with a bigger Nottingham council covering Broxtowe and Gedling or Broxtowe and Rushcliffe and another authority for the rest of the county.