Protest against 'disgraceful' city expansion plan

A protest has taken place against plans to expand Leicester into neighbouring towns and villages.

About 200 people gathered on Thursday to show their opposition to the move that will see the city's council boundary extend in all directions into areas currently served by neighbouring councils.

The city expansion is part of the Labour government's plan to reshape the political map of Leicestershire and Rutland by replacing 10 existing councils with two new local authorities.

Protesters said they were angry about the prospect of becoming part of an enlarged Leicester council and described the move as a "land grab".

The protest, attended by Tory MPs and councillors as well as Reform UK, Liberal Democrat and Green politicians, took place outside Leicestershire County Council's headquarters in Glenfield, ahead of an emergency meeting to debate the changes.

A motion, tabled by Liberal Democrat county councillors, said the move would "drag 100,000s of county residents into Leicester city, overwhelmingly against their will" and was "an undemocratic disgrace".

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the process, known as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), would improve public services, create larger, more financially sustainable councils, and provide land needed for new homes to accommodate Leicester's growing population.

Caroline Hill, 85, from Queniborough, was among the protesters and said: "I've never attended a protest in my life but I feel angry about this. I don't want my village to be swamped by the city."

Susan Jesson, who lives near County Hall in Glenfield, told the BBC: "We are proud of our community and we don't want to be swallowed up by the city.

"We don't want to lose the individuality of our village."

Mid Leicestershire Conservative MP Peter Bedford said the government had ignored public opinion.

He said: "The government is forcing this on people who really do not want this change. It is a land grab that will see residents moved into the city where their council tax will go up and they get worse services for that."

Under the move, once the city boundary is widened, the rest of the county and Rutland will be served by a single unitary council called Leicestershire and Rutland Council. It will mean the existing seven district councils will cease to exist from the point the new structure comes in on April 2028.

Reform UK county council leader Dan Harrison said he was opposed to the city expansion which he described as "heartless" and "ill-thought out".

Liberal Democrat county council group leader Michael Mullaney said the government was bullying residents.

"It's an outrage," Mullaney said.

"Our message to Leicester mayor Peter Soulsby is, 'get your hands off Leicestershire's towns and villages.'"

Green Party county councillor Naomi Bottomley said there was great strength of feeling against the city expansion and the government had "shaken residents' trust in politicians".

Following a three-hour debate, the motion to oppose the city expansion was passed by 45 votes to one. It was opposed by Labour county councillor Jewel Miah.

The motion calls for the government to go back to the drawing board on the LGR plan for Leicestershire.

Leicester's Labour mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "It's very obvious that many people have many reservations about what's happening.

"I think I have reservations.

"It's certainly not in my personal interest to have this change because of course it will be the end of the mayoral system of governance here in the city.

"It's not in my party's interests, very obviously.

"People don't have to be geniuses in the way people vote to know that that will be a challenge for my party, but what matters is it's the right thing for the city and it's the right thing for the surrounding area as well.

"It's the right thing for the city because Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, we lost out in the 1970s when most similar cities saw their boundaries massively extended.

"We were kept within 19th Century boundaries and the change is something that frankly before the announcement privately all of the local parties were very much recognising was the necessity.

"It's going to happen and I think what matters now is that we get on with making it happen in a way that enables the people of Leicester and the surrounding area to have their services preserved."

Soulsby added: "It's also very important to say that what this does is to enable the people around Leicester who are very much a part of the greater Leicester area to have a say in the governance of their city.

"They'll have a vote, they will have a stake in the city of which they are effectively already a part."

The mayor told the BBC he did not anticipate a "massive hike" in council tax for residents brought within the city boundary.

"In fact, it's quite the contrary," he added.

"Because studies that have been jointly undertaken between the city and the county council show that there is the potential saving, the likely saving of over £40 million a year for local council taxpayers as a result of these changes."

An MHCLG spokesperson said: "Ultimately reorganisation in Leicestershire will help communities by speeding up the construction of new homes and infrastructure, improving public services and boosting regional growth to put more money in people's pockets."

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