Today’s news that the Government has paused its Local Government Reorganisation plans following legal advice raises serious questions about how this process has been handled.
For Rushmoor residents, this creates yet more uncertainty over the future of our borough, our local services and the proposed new mega council.
Rushmoor Conservatives have consistently called for residents to be given a referendum. We have also argued that any reorganisation must:
Protect local democracy
Protect the identity and voice of Aldershot and Farnborough
Deliver genuinely better and more efficient services
Provide clear financial benefits for residents
Be conducted openly, legally and with proper democratic accountability
Time and again, we have raised concerns about the financial assessments underpinning these proposals and whether the promised savings will genuinely be delivered.
Councils have already committed substantial staff time and public resources to preparing for these changes. The Government must now explain what has gone wrong, how much this uncertainty will cost taxpayers and what happens next.
Local people deserve clarity and they deserve a meaningful say in the future of local government in Rushmoor.
Cllr Stephen Harden
Leader of the Conservative Group
Rushmoor Borough Council
