England's smallest county is set to disappear off the map forever under the biggest government shake-up in 50 years. Rutland County Council, home to around 41,000 people, will be abolished and replaced by a larger authority stretching around Leicester – part of a wider reorganisation affecting 15 million people across England.
The government has set a target for councils to serve around 500,000 residents, leaving Rutland far below the threshold. Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, whose constituency includes Rutland, said residents 'never chose to join' the new authority and warned that 'an identity that has endured for centuries will be erased at the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen.' More than 7,000 people have signed a 'Save Rutland' petition.
“Rutland, England's smallest county, will be abolished under a massive local government reorganisation affecting 14 areas.”
The plans, announced by Steve Reed, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, will see the abolition of two-tier government – district and county councils – in 14 areas, and their replacement with single, unitary authorities. Ministers say the reform will create 'strong' councils that match local economies and identities, drive house-building and growth, and pave the way for more powers to be handed from Westminster and Whitehall to regions across the country.
'The system we have at the moment is inefficient,' Reed said. 'Replacing it will reduce wasteful duplication and improve public services.' He added that some smaller cities 'have been constrained by tight boundaries, set decades ago, which stop them from building the homes they need.'
Under the plans, 134 councils will be reorganised into 38 unitary authorities. Both Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and West Sussex have been delayed for further consideration. Derbyshire is to be split to create two new councils, while Warwickshire's two-council plan has been given the go-ahead. Rutland had previously been its own county before becoming part of Leicestershire in 1974; it regained unitary status in 1995 after a public campaign.
But the government faces legal challenges over earlier proposals to reorganise councils in Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. James Cleverly, the shadow secretary of state, accused Labour of making changes 'purely for partisan gain.' 'Steve Reed is once again fiddling with democracy,' Cleverly said. 'His legacy will be one of taking power away from local communities, imposing an unfair funding review on councils, and gerrymandering local government for party political advantage.' The Liberal Democrats described the proposals as 'chaos' and 'uncertainty,' leaving many communities 'arbitrarily' redrawn. Reed insisted that local government 'should be set up to address the unique circumstances of each area and design public services tailored to each community.' Rutland's fate now rests on whether the government will heed the campaign to save it.