Ellie Ames 10 January 2025

Voters ‘set to be deprived of local democracy’

Voters ‘set to be deprived of local democracy’ image
Image: 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com

The District Councils’ Network has warned that millions of voters will be ‘deprived of their local democracy’ due to plans to postpone some county council elections.

Upper-tier councils must tell the Government by today (10 January) if they wish to reorganise local government in their regions to pursue devolution at an ‘ambitious’ pace, and said it was minded to delay May’s elections in these areas to enable this.

It is expected that more than 10 county councils will submit a request to the Government.

DCN chairman Sam Chapman-Allen said: ‘The cancellation of the local elections comes after the Government’s general election manifesto neglected to mention that it sought to take power away from communities by replacing district councils with mega councils.

‘Democracy is being sidelined with the local electorate being deprived of any democratic opportunity to give their verdict on a major reorganisation that will have far-reaching repercussions for the destiny of thousands of English towns and villages.’

In a statement, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: ‘Elections this year will be going ahead as planned and we will only consider postponing elections for areas where the council concerned have requested it, and where after careful consideration, it will help an area to deliver reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeline.’

The department said it would review all requests after today’s deadline and then ‘provide an update to the affected areas in the near future’.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Activites Assistants (CASUAL)

Durham County Council
£24,404 (12.65 p.a. hour) - £25,183 (£13.05 p.a. hour)
This is an exciting opportunity for Casual Activities Assistants to join our Leisure and Sport Service.   Leisure Centres are
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Pension Administration Officer

Durham County Council
£24,404 to £25,183 p.a. (Grade 3) Pay award pending
A vacancy has arisen within Pension Services for an Administration Officer to provide admin and data support to the pensions team and members of the L Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

County Attendance Officer

Oxfordshire County Council
£37035 - £39513
We are seeking to recruit to the role of County Attendance Officer on a permanent basis to work predominately across the North or the South of the county. The team works across the whole of Oxfordshire so flexibility to work in other areas is also require County Hall, Oxford
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council

Software Engineer Starter

West Northamptonshire Council
£26914
We're looking for an exceptional human to join our digital team to learn the skills and put them into practice, designing, developing and maintaining websites, mobile apps & AI. You'll join us on our journey as we create better end-to-end services for our Northampton
Recuriter: West Northamptonshire Council

Executive Director - Growth, Enterprise and Environment

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
£139,111.00 (pay award pending)
This is a chance to make a significant difference to the lives of families across our borough – and to seriously improve your quality of life. Redcar and Cleveland House, Kirkleatham Street, Redcar, TS10 1RT
Recuriter: Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
Linkedin Banner