Newcastle Council reaction to Government suspension of Local Government Reorganisation
The leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has reacted to the news that Government has halted Local Government Reorganisation while it checks its legality.
Council Leader Jonathan Gullis said:
Today’s announcement is a major moment for Newcastle-under-Lyme and vindicates the decision to fight this deeply flawed reorganisation from the very beginning.
When the Government announced that it intended to abolish our historic Borough Council, we did not shrug our shoulders, wave the white flag or accept that Newcastle-under-Lyme’s future should be decided for us.
We challenged the evidence. We questioned the financial case. We demanded answers and commissioned independent specialist King’s Counsel advice to examine the lawfulness of the Government’s decision and whether there were grounds for Judicial Review.
Now the Government itself is reviewing Local Government Reorganisation following updated legal advice, with Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent specifically included.
That is hugely significant. It shows precisely why we were right not to treat this decision as a done deal.
It has been disappointing that, since the Government’s announcement, there has not been a stronger collective approach across North Staffordshire in challenging the evidence, legality and implications of these proposals. Nevertheless, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has been determined to ensure those questions are properly asked and our residents’ interests are robustly represented.
Our first duty is to the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and not to quietly accepting the abolition of a Borough with centuries of history and a strong local identity.
The Government now has an opportunity to correct course. My message could not be clearer: stop the abolition of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, listen to our residents and respect our Borough’s right to determine its own future.”