A protest has been planned to demonstrate opposition to a Westminster decision on local government reorganisation.
Arranged by Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Conservatives, the protest is scheduled to take place at 1pm on Thursday (August 6) outside the County Hall in Glenfield – headquarters of Leicestershire County Council – in opposition to the planned expansion of Leicester’s city boundaries.
Under LGR plans, Leicestershire and Rutland are due to merge, forming a new council jurisdiction, within which a broadened Leicester city will form another.
Harringworth viaduct. Photo: Discover Rutland
Rutland and Stamford MP Alicia Kearns (Con) has vehemently criticised the plans, including the expansion of Leicester.
Speaking on the upcoming protest, she said: “Nobody voted for a City of Leicester takeover and no referendum has been offered. The Government’s decision to press ahead irrespective of our opposition is appalling, and shows a complete disregard for us all. Our communities deserve better.
“If you feel the same, please do come and join us to say no to Labour’s plans for a city takeover. We will stand together and send a clear message to the Government: hands off our communities.”
Poster for the LGR protest, arranged by the Conservatives across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Photo: Alicia Kearns
The leader of the opposition on Rutland County Council, Councillor Lucy Stephenson (Conservative), has confirmed she will be in attendance, even though Leicester’s expansion will not encroach on Rutland’s existing county boundaries.
Coun Stephenson told the LDRS that she will be attending “in solidarity” with Conservative district councillors in Leicestershire, whose jurisdiction is at risk of being “swallowed up” by the Leicester “land grab”.
She said: “The attitude of Conservatives in the LLR area is that we want to show solidarity for each others causes. Rutland Conservatives have not organised this march, but I am going to attend to show support. I’m certainly not for the Leicester city land grab.”
In a statement published last month, Coun Stephenson said the Government’s chosen “donut” LGR design was “not a decision that Rutland sought”. She added people “took the time to make their voices heard because they believed they could influence the future of their county”, yet many will feel “they have not been listened to”.