COUNCILLORS in Bromsgrove believe the best future for local Government reorganisation across Worcestershire will be to split the county into north and south divisions.
At a meeting on Wednesday (September 3), the majority of Bromsgrove District Council’s representatives voted to support the option of two unitary councils as part of Government instructed plans to transform politics at a local level.
Under Government plans, Worcestershire County Council and the six district, borough, and city councils will be abolished on April 1, 2028.
They will be replaced by either one single council for Worcestershire running all services, or two councils – one for the North and one for the South – with each authority responsible for all services for its part of the county.
After considering the positives and negatives of each, a north and south split will now be explored further by Bromsgrove District Council officers and brought back before Members in November.
A final proposal will then be submitted to Government later that month.
Once the Government has approved the model for reorganising councils in Worcestershire, elections will be held in May 2027 for a ‘shadow’ authority or authorities, which will guide the setting up of the new council structure.
The new unitary authority or authorities will then take over local services in April 2028.
A majority of Bromsgrove residents preferred a split county as part of the county’s engagement exercise on the proposals.
Council Leader Karen May said: “First of all I want to thank our residents, who took the time to take part.
“I am delighted to report this Council collectively listened to our residents and decided we needed to take this opportunity to shake things up and make a difference to our residents on the ground.
“While the appraisal report showed there could be bigger savings with a one authority approach we felt a smaller authority would have greater success in terms of outcomes.
“I am confident we have a firm foundation from which to develop our final proposal.
“I want to further reassure residents we will ensure they continue to receive excellent everyday services as Local Government Reorganisation continues and beyond.”
Councils across the district have also cast their vote this week. Visit www.shapeworcestershire.org/ for more information.
