The leader of Rutland County Council says the only option currently open to Rutland is to work with the seven districts of Leicestershire in local government reorganisation with a preferred approach to join Melton and Charnwood in a larger unitary authority.
Leicester City's planned for a single council for everywhere, but Leicester itself doesn't include Rutland at this stage.
Initial proposals need to be presented by 21 March to government. Rutland and Stamford's MP says democracy has broken down after no councillor vote was allowed by the leader in last night's second special meeting, despite it being agreed in the previous one. There was also criticism over a lack of public engagement so far, with a short survey shared on the council website, which takes in Rutland and the seven Leicestershire districts and gives no other options.
The leader of Rutland County Council, Councillor Gale Waller, says they've done what's been asked of them.
"Well, we have been instructed to work with the Leicestershire councils by the government, and that's what we've done. And so we will be putting forward the north south split that we've talked about tonight as an interim, interim's not quite the right word, it's interim in terms of the time we're doing it: it's the first stage. But it's what we're looking at now. But clearly, if the city borders do change between now and November, that's going to impact on the numbers within the county. So the whole picture will be reviewed. It has to be. And I don't know, because I don't know, what's going to come with that. We have to see what the evidence, the data is saying at that point."
MP Alicia Kearns says whatever proposal goes forward, it should be backed by councillors and the public.
"In February, to prevent the leader of the council putting forward proposals to government without any say from councillors or Rutlanders, a motion was passed requiring a vote of full council and public engagement events before proposals go to government on 21 March.
What happened at the council meeting was a complete denial of democracy, and it now means a proposal will go forward to government on 21 March, where councils have been given no vote on it, let alone Rutlanders themselves, who have not had any meaningful engagement beyond a two question survey on Rutland County Council's website."
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