Melton Council could become part of an East Midlands regional authority

All seven district and borough councils in Leicestershire wrote to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, in January to make clear their willingness to work with government on its forthcoming devolution framework.

Mr Jenrick has now written back to the leaders of Melton, Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, North West Leicestershire and Oadby and Wigston councils to say he welcomes the idea.

He said it could involve all councils from Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire and could be led by an elected mayor if that was the local choice.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the Leicestershire council, including Melton’s Joe Orson, said: “We are pleased to receive a positive response from the Secretary of State about our views around devolution and closer collaboration and the opportunities they present to this region and its residents.

“The district and borough council leaders in Leicestershire will be now be taking forward discussions about an East Midlands Combined Authority with the leaders of councils from around the East Midlands.”

The Leicestershire council leaders will now worh together to develop a proposal that would provide a stable, efficient and accountable form of governance.

The seven councils recently formed two alliances to develop more collaborative working.

The Northern Leicestershire Strategic Alliance will include Melton, Charnwood and North West Leicestershire councils while the Southern Leicestershire Strategic Alliance comprises Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Oadby and Wigston and Blaby councils.

The move for a regional combined authority follows a drive to establish a single super council for Leicestershire which would lead to the abolition of the county’s seven district authorities including Melton Borough Council.

The controversial idea was first mooted by Leicestershire County Council leader Nick Rushton in June 2018 in a bid to save £30million of Council Tax-payers money every year, reduce duplication and protect front line services.

County Hall has now produced a draft 100-page blueprint for the reorganisation of local government which compares different options and concludes that a unitary authority combining all the activities of the district councils and the county council would be a much better alternative to the current two-tier council system.