Jenrick: Big council shake-up proposals are 'totally absurd'

HIS CONSTITUENCY COULD BE 'MILKED' BY CITY, HE CLAIMS

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

ROBERT Jenrick fears parts of his constituency will be "milked" by Nottingham City Council if the authority ends up expanding to cover them in a huge boundary shakeup.

Swathes of rural Rushcliffe could end up being "sucked into the city" as part of the biggest change to the local government map in 50 years.

The leadership of the Labour-run city council says current boundaries are "outdated", but Mr Jenrick says the idea of villages like Shelford and Newton being governed by the city is "absurd".

Part of the Conservative MP for Newark's constituency covers Rushcliffe and the final call on where new boundaries should be drawn will be made next summer.

Mr Jenrick also told the Post he was "sceptical" about the city council's claims to have turned a financial corner, saying his time as local government secretary gave him an insight into the authority's "woeful" leadership.

Councils like Nottingham operate all local authority services in their area, but the rest of the county uses a two tier system. Everyone in the county is served by two councils - a smaller one such as Gedling and the larger county council.

Government plans mean that all the smaller councils will be scrapped.

Options include Nottingham expanding to cover a combination of either Broxtowe and Gedling or Broxtowe and Rushcliffe, with a new council for the rest of the county in both cases.