A joint statement from all five district and borough councils in Warwickshire has been released today, proposing a survey of local residents and organisations in Warwickshire of their view on proposed reforms to local government.

Yesterday Kenilworth Nub News reported the findings of a report from Warwickshire County Council which is to be discussed at an extraordinary cabinet meeting this Thursday.

The report comes in response to a White Paper to be proposed by the UK government next month on reforms to local government.

The county council's findings strongly support the formation of one unitary governing body in the county.

This would replace the current two-tier model, and dissolve all of the district and borough councils - Stratford and Warwick District Councils and North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, and Rugby Borough Councils.

In response, the five district and borough councils have written to Simon Clarke, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with a request to present their own proposals for the future of local government.

These proposals are planned to be based on views gathered from people and organisations within Warwickshire.

There will also be a commissioned study of options for the future of the area. These will then be put to a cross section of residents, businesses and organisations in the county to discuss.

The five district and borough councils are responsible for areas such as housing and planning, street cleaning, refuse collection, environmental health and leisure provision.

A joint statement has been released by the five councils which signals their opposition to the county council proposals, as well as the lack of consultation with residents, organisations, or other councils in the area.

They said: "We live in a democracy and we are talking about the biggest shake-up in half a century so it would be totally wrong for any changes just to be pushed through without any feedback from residents, business and partner organisations.

"We all believe that local accountability and responsibility is vital – and never has that been more evident than during the current Coronavirus pandemic when local councils have been able to respond to very local needs from residents and businesses.

"We clearly believe in the need to maintain that local element but also understand that reform is not only inevitable but also necessary as we are working on a model set in the 1970s when the world was a vastly different place.

"However, that does not mean that all that is good in local government is simply wiped away in a power grab which – we believe – does not serve the area well. We may represent different political parties but we are totally united in this and have made our views known to our local MPs.

"Councils at all levels across Warwickshire only exist to serve the interests of local residents and to deliver high quality services at the best possible value."

The councils are due to start their survey in September.