Negotiations have "got to" be had over a proposed expansion of the city's borders, Leicestershire County Council leader Dan Harrison told the LDRS. Without them, the Reform UK leader said he fears the city would end up taking "more" land from the county than he "would like". 

Cllr Harrison made the claims as he believes the Government will back Leicester City Council's vision for local government reorganisation if the county council does not agree to some form of expansion.  

The Labour-run city council's plan would see swathes of Leicestershire given over to the city, including Glenfield, Oadby, Wigston, Blaby, Whetstone, Syston, Anstey, Leicester Forest East, Birstall, Kirby Muxloe, Thurmaston and Countesthorpe. 

The comments followed a testy full council meeting of Leicestershire County Council at which elected members narrowly voted to oppose any future expansion of the city as part of an upcoming simplification of local government structures.  

Reform UK members all voted against the motion, which was put forward by the Conservative Group, with the final tally coming in at 23 votes for, 22 against and one abstention from Labour councillor Jewel Miah. 

The LDRS asked Cllr Harrison whether he would be honouring the vote made in the chamber yesterday (Wednesday, July 30) or whether, in his mind, Leicester's expansion was still on the table. 

He said: "I'm willing to look at it (expansion). I'm willing to find the best answer for Leicestershire, and whatever that is, I'll bring it forward." 

Cllr Harrison added his party would be continuing with independent modelling being commissioned jointly by the county and city councils, saying he was "committed" to doing this. This modelling would look at "how far the extension" of Leicester's borders "should be" to allow both Leicester City Council and a new unitary Leicestershire County Council to balance their books. 

He said: "We'd see what he's (city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby) talking about, what he's looking to secure so that he's able to run [Leicester City Council] correctly and he's able to balance his budgets, the same as we at county can, because it's all about that and that's what it will come down to […] 

"Now, obviously, the Conservatives are agitating 'don't do it, don't do it' but then the Government will turn up next year and say no, we're going do that, we're going to go ahead with it but he'd (Sir Peter) have more [land] than I'd probably like him to have. 

"So, you've got to have negotiations. You've got to be honest. Just to sit back and say 'well, let a minister decide' is crazy." 

We asked Cllr Harrison how much land he would be willing to cede to the city. He said: "It's impossible to say at this stage. I don't know. 

"We're just looking at the modelling. That's going to start to emerge after August into September, then we can look, the chief executive and myself can sit down, we can look at it, and then if there's anything to negotiate at that stage we can […] 

"Eventually we'll come to a settled agreement [with the city], then it will come here and other people have to make that decision, but it'll be with full evidence because that's the key." 

Cllr Harrison put an amended motion to the chamber yesterday removing the Conservative's opposition to the expansion and proposing to write to the Government to request a local referendum on reorganisation. This was voted down by opposition parties with 24 votes to 22, with councillors claiming the Government had already indicated that it would not take any local referendums into account when ministers ultimately came to decide which proposals to take forward. 

A referendum typically asks residents a single question for a decision. The LDRS asked Cllr Harrison what question he had been planning to put to the electorate. He told us it was "impossible to say at this stage". 

Concerns were also raised on Wednesday by opposition councillors that the Reform's plans for reorganisation had not yet been put out to public consultation despite final plans needing to be sent to the Government in November. We asked Cllr Harrison when Leicestershire residents could expect to have their say. 

He said: "Simple answer: As soon as I know they will know […] It needs to be looked at and dealt with properly and then they'll have participation." 



Leader of the Opposition at Leicestershire County Council Deborah Taylor (Photo: LDRS)

The LDRS also spoke to Conservative leader and leader of the opposition on Leicestershire County Council Deborah Taylor following yesterday's vote, asking her whether she agrees with Reform's assessment that it was not a matter of if land was going to be lost to the county but rather how much. The Conservatives organised a protest against the potential expansion of Leicester with local residents prior to the meeting. 

She said: "I think they're wrong, and our residents are very clear that they don't want the city to expand […] So [Cllr Harrison] needs to listen and stop this. It's within his gift to do it." 

She also called for the council to proceed to a public consultation on reorganisation, saying: "He's talking about holding a referendum, he's not even held a local public consultation to ask residents their views, and he needs to do that. We've wasted three months now where he's had absolutely no contact with the public."