WORCESTERSHIRE County Council’s leader is being urged to challenge the Government’s decision to split the county into two new unitary authorities.
Reform UK councillor Nik Price will use next week’s full council meeting to press leader Matt Jenkins on whether the authority will explore a judicial review after ministers rejected the council’s preferred option of a single unitary authority covering the whole county.
Ministers announced in July that Worcestershire would have councils for the north and south of the county from 2028.
REFORM: Councillor Nik Price said two unitary authorities is “wrong” for Worcestershire (Image: Worcestershire County Council)
But Cllr Price is among the councillors who would have preferred the alternative plan for one unitary council for the whole of Worcestershire.
At a full council meeting next week, he will ask Cllr Jenkins to “seek urgent legal advice and commit to exploring every available avenue, including judicial review, to challenge this decision”.
“Or will this administration simply accept an outcome that this council rejected and that is clearly wrong for the people of Worcestershire?” Cllr Price will ask.
Cllr Price, cabinet member for DOGE in the old Reform administration, will say: “The Government has disregarded our recommendation and imposed a model that risks fragmenting vital countywide services.
“This is not simply about lines on a map. It is about the future of children’s services, adult social care, SEND provision, highways and the support provided to some of Worcestershire’s most vulnerable residents.
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“Reform-led councils in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex have already pursued judicial review where the Government has disregarded local recommendations.”
Following the ministerial decision in July, the seven leaders of Worcestershire’s councils said in a joint statement: “The debate is now over and we have a clear direction from the Government.
“Today, we come together to express our commitment to work collectively to make these new arrangements a success for residents, businesses, and communities across the county.”
Elections to so-called ‘shadow authorities’, which will set up the new unitary councils, are expected to take place in May 2027.
