Nine out of ten councillors may be “culled” in reorganisation, local government academics warn

The essay, published by thinktank Localis today (25 June), looks at the constitutional implications of the government’s directive to ensure local government reorganises itself in county/district areas, and the future of English Devolution.

According to their calculations, academics Professor Colin Copus and Professor Steve Leach claim that if new unitary authorities in two-tier areas have populations of half-a-million, then councillor numbers will decrease from around 12,000 to 1,200, placing “considerable strains” and “unsustainable workloads” on remaining councillors.

In the essay, they warn that the English Devolution White Paper has triggered a chain of events which raise a series of questions about the arguments underpinning it, with “major issues of concern” identified including:

• constitutional issues about the role of local government;
• a lack of substance and justification regarding the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) elements of the white paper and its “tenuous connection” with devolution;
• the inconsistencies in the potential impact of the white paper throughout England;
• the discrepancies between England and other European countries in relation to the size, composition and justification for local authorities; and
• how Whitehall’s long-term policy agenda, rarely explicit, has consistently sought opportunities for reorganisation.

Further, the essay predicts an “extended period of disruption” over the next few years, as counties and districts strive to come to terms with the long transition and cost involved, with “myriad missed opportunities for ‘getting on with the day job’” such as dealing with the challenges of new housing targets, and the continued provision of their service responsibilities.

Professor Colin Copus said: “Councillors in England have one of the highest representative ratios across Europe and as the government proceeds with an unnecessary, expensive and distracting reorganisation, we will see another drastic reduction in councillor numbers; that isn't a virtue of reorganisation, it's a hollowing-out of local democracy and a reduction in opportunities for citizens to get involved in local self-government.

“Considerable strain will be placed on remaining councillors to deal with the workload as the work of the disappeared councillors does not disappear with them. 

“The job of the councillor is set to get much harder, especially given the poor support and resources they often receive and that councillors are already overworked.  They risk becoming a residual rump of local democracy.”

Professor Steve Leach added: “Local government will get less and less local and areas that have been used to their own elected council will be subsumed into meaningless conglomerates that will make no sense as units of local government and even less sense to local people.

“We are searching for the philosopher's stone of the optimum size for local government and there isn't one.”

He continued: “The government is continuing with a long-standing agenda to make the centre's life easier by reducing the number of councils and councillors and the irony of its commitment to devolution shouldn't be missed here - councils need greater autonomy and freedom from the centre not making bigger to make the centre's life easier.”

Lottie Winson