More chaos! Ministers are under fire after it was revealed they did not conduct their own cost review of the biggest reorganisation of English councils in decades.

The government’s plan to merge councils in 21 areas, a move championed by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner as a way to save “a significant amount of money,” has come under scrutiny. Instead of commissioning its own analysis, the government relied on a 2020 report from the County Council Network (CCN).

This is particularly concerning given that the CCN itself has since revised its analysis, suggesting that some of the proposed mergers could end up costing money rather than saving it. A scenario involving 58 new, smaller councils could cost taxpayers an extra £850m over five years with no long-term savings.

The government insists the reorganisation will improve services and save money, but with councils already under immense financial strain, this decision to skip a full cost analysis is a high-stakes gamble with taxpayers’ money. It’s a clear signal that they’re willing to proceed with major reforms without a full and independent understanding of the financial consequences.

Our question is: Has the same lack of thought gone in to the Planning Framework, which means that developers can exploit loopholes and develop on our Green Fields on our Green Belt?

#burntwood#LichfieldDistrictCouncil#greenbelt#saveourgreenbelt#council#wrongtimewrongplace