Government plans to merge councils may not save money, and do nothing to solve the very real problems they faceIt’s extraordinary that a profound reshaping – and shrinking – of our democracy is happening under our noses, and virtually no one notices. For baffling reasons, soon after the general election a government with a sky-high in-tray of problems embarked on a gigantic local council reorganisation no one knew about.It didn’t feature in the manifesto, nor in the local government secretary Steve Reed’s conference speech last week – but England has plans to axe unknown numbers of local councillors – some estimates put it at nearly 90%. The white paper outlining these plans actually boasts that there will be “fewer local politicians”, pandering disgracefully to the general scorn for politics. Yet voters trust councillors twice as much as they do Westminister politicians.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Sunday 12 October 2025
.theguardian - 2 days ago
English democracy relies on local councillors. So why are so many facing the axe? | Polly Toynbee
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