Growing opposition to 'hostile takeover' of districts and boroughs by Warwickshire County Council
Usually fierce political rivalries were parked this week amid scathing opposition to Warwickshire County Council’s attempted “hostile takeover” of district and boroughs.
Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council’s cabinet – the panel of Labour councillors in charge of major service areas – rubber stamped a unanimous cross-party decision to pursue two unitary councils in Warwickshire, one for the north and one for the south.
The government wants all two-tier areas – where most council services are delivered across two levels, county and districts or borough councils – to streamline into unitary authorities by 2028.
Warwickshire County Council is not only advocating one unitary based on the current county footprint but also to be granted continuing authority status.
Rather than be abolished in the same way as the five district and borough councils, the county is proposing to continue until 2028, bolting on the district and borough responsibilities until the new council is formed.
The argument is that it is simpler and cheaper but like the districts in Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon, Nuneaton & Bedworth laced its opposition into its final request of government.
Ex-borough leader, now leader of the opposition, Councillor Kris Wilson (Con, Whitestone) congratulated his successor and traditional adversary Councillor Chris Watkins (Lab, Stockingford West) on “getting in at the last minute” the kickback against the plans.
“That was a curveball thrown in at the last minute and it looks like a hostile takeover of everyone else,” said Cllr Wilson.
“If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it is a duck. That has done nothing to instill confidence in cross-party working on this.”
He had already said how collaborative working on this had “shown Nuneaton & Bedworth at its best” and highlighted how county council leader Councillor George Finch (Reform UK, Bedworth Central), who attended the borough’s full council debate on local government reorganisation, had yet to respond to his concerns.
“I am disappointed that the leader of the county council hasn’t taken up the gauntlet laid down to him in my speech,” Cllr Wilson said.
“I said to him that if he could show me what the value added is of Warwickshire County Council assuming all of our powers to make meaningful change in Nuneaton & Bedworth, where we have 17 of the 22 most deprived areas in the county, I would be willing to listen. I am sure every member would be.
“To date, my email inbox has been empty. I am sure everyone else’s has been empty on that front, too.”
He added that “every model I have seen from the county has been silent" on key issues such as educational attainment, life expectancy, increased job opportunities and higher average earnings and cast doubt over the financial modelling in the county’s case for one unitary.
Of those reports, he said: “He who pays the piper calls the tune.
“I am sure the county council’s chief executive and officers have paid the dues and called the tune, as is their want.
"We do have to be careful about that.”