Council seeks legal review of local government plans

Nottinghamshire County Council has confirmed it has "issued a claim for judicial review" against the government's proposals for local government reorganisation.

Reorganisation plans for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire would have removed the traditional county and district councils and replaced them with two new unitary authorities.

However, Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner then told MPs last month the plans would be put on hold in light of new legal advice.

The county council - which is led by Reform UK - said it had made its claim "following careful consideration of matters relating to the government's decision-making process".

The Government had previously announced plans to expand the boundaries of Nottingham City Council to include parts of Broxtowe, Gedling, and Rushcliffe to create a new single authority called "Greater Nottingham Council".

It also intended to create a second unitary authority, called Nottinghamshire Council, which would include Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Mansfield, and Newark and Sherwood, along with the parts of Broxtowe, Gedling, and Rushcliffe.

Other councils across the country - including Reform-led Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk and a Conservative administration in Hampshire - launched their own judicial reviews in June.

Nottinghamshire signalled its intention to launch a claim for its own judicial review in August and wrote a pre-action letter to the government to ask for "more clarity" about how plans for the county were developed.

Rayner then announced the plans had been paused in September.

Mick Barton, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said if the government had decided a pause was necessary and "its own decision should be reviewed", then "the sensible course would have been to withdraw the original decision".

"This is about openness, transparency and accountability," he said.

"What we've been looking for from the beginning is a clear explanation as to how this decision was reached and the evidence it was based on."

The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.

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