Reform takes legal advice over 'crazy' council letter
BBCThe leader of Worcestershire County Council is embroiled in a row over a letter sent to central government which urges ministers to press ahead with proposals for two new authorities.
Green councillor Matt Jenkins has co-signed a letter to Angela Rayner, asking her to "lift the pause" on local government reorganisation and approve the creation of two new councils for north and south Worcestershire.
But his own deputy leader Adam Kent has written to ministers urging them to ignore the letter, saying it "does not reflect the position of the council".
Worcestershire's Reform group is taking legal advice over the request, calling it "extraordinary" and "undemocratic".
What is the context?
The government wants to simplify local government in the biggest shake-up since 1974 - in Worcestershire it means all seven existing councils being scrapped and replaced by a new system.
Last year the county council published a business case for creating one unitary authority for the whole of Worcestershire, arguing it would save up to £30 million a year.
It was backed by Wyre Forest District Council but not the other districts in Worcester, Redditch, Bromsgrove, Malvern and Wychavon, who submitted their own rival counter proposal calling for a north-south split.
In July the government decided to favour splitting the county in two, only to then place the historic national project on 'pause' after taking legal advice, leaving councils across the country in limbo.
Worcestershire's reorganisation was due to kick in from April 2028, but the situation is currently uncertain.
Why was the letter sent?
The letter states the council has already had "robust local debates" over Worcestershire's future local government model, and wants to press on with delivering it.
It points out that a transformation director has already been appointed, on a salary of more than £100,000 a year, and says "recruitment and retention risks are increasing" amid the uncertainty, especially in roles "critical to service delivery".
It also says the ongoing delays will "come at a cost" and could even create a tipping point where the council is unable to repay its debts on time given the state of its finances.
As well as Jenkins, it was signed by the leaders of all five district councils in Worcestershire that had previously supported the north-south split.
Why is there a dispute?
Simply put, Worcestershire County Council's position was to support a single unitary authority, not a split.
That was the stance taken last year, when the authority - then controlled by Reform UK - was tasked with sending a formal submission to the government.
Since May, the council has been led by a Green-Lib Dem-independent coalition, but Jenkins' letter appears to have been a unilateral decision.
His deputy leader Adam Kent has told the BBC he was "surprised" to learn of the letter, and was not told about it beforehand.
"I want to place on record that I do not support this letter, I was not consulted on it," he said.
"I will be fighting tooth and nail to ensure Worcestershire is not carved into pieces to serve the interests of the few against the interests of the many."
Alan Amos, who leads the opposition Reform UK group, said: "It's absolutely chaotic - he (Matt Jenkins) has asked the government to introduce something the council has not voted for.
"And to make it even more extraordinary, his own deputy has now gone to the government to say 'ignore this letter from the council's leader'.
"I'm taking legal advice over it - the council's settled position was to support the creation of one unitary council. It's crazy."
Jenkins suggested the letter had been misunderstood by other councillors, and said it was "simply a request to lift the current pause", so they can "move forward with implementing the decision" that had already been decided upon.
"The pause was not an invitation to reopen or resubmit proposals, as the decision on Worcestershire's future structure has already been made," he said.
"However, if there were to be an opportunity to revisit proposals, then, as agreed by county council, our preferred option would remain the 'One Worcestershire' model.
"(But) the greatest risk facing Worcestershire is no longer the decision itself, but the uncertainty created by continued delay.
"Residents, businesses and public services all benefit from clarity and certainty about the future.
"That is why we will continue to make the case to government that progress should resume as quickly as possible, while working constructively with our local partners to prepare for the changes ahead."
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