‘Hands off our councils’

Discussions over mergers are taking place as the Government's secretary for local government and communities, Ruth Kelly, prepares to release a White Paper paving the way for the council shake ups.

And Coun Gordon Birtwistle is eyeing up the creation of a new unitary authority if the county council is abolished as part of the changes.

Blackburn with Darwen Council and Hyndburn Council have revealed they are in merger talks to pool all officer services but retain two separate politically controlled councils.

The move is similar to a merger of officers and councillors being considered by Preston City Council and South Ribble Borough Council.

If both mergers become a reality then a question mark would hang over the future of Lancashire County Council, with great chunks of the county outside its control.

But today county council leader Coun Hazel Harding insisted the authority had a future.

Until the White Paper is published the Government's view on the feasibility of the county council continuing in its present form is unclear.

But Coun Alan Davies, leader of Lib Dem-run Pendle Council, said: "The view in Pendle is that people don't want change and we will not be advocating a change."

He did not rule out joining with Burnley and Rossendale. But added: "Our view as far as Pendle is concerned is that it needs an area like Ribble Valley to balance the rural and urban.

"In any option I would have thought that Ribble Valley was an essential option."

Coun Duncan Ruddick, Tory leader of Rossendale Council, said: "We are working with the leader of Lancashire County Council for an enhanced two-tier system to make what we have got work better.

"The established system works reasonably well but it could do better. The people in Rossendale prefer a small council rather than a big one run from Burnley."

Lib Dem Coun Birtwistle said: "We will be looking at a unitary based on Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale.

"I fancy a unitary to get rid of the county council to control our own destiny."

He said he recognised that Burnley was probably too small in population terms to become a unitary authority and gain control over education, social services, and transport, roles currently controlled by Lancashire County Council.

At Local Government Conference earlier this month Mrs Kelly said that when the Local Government White Paper is published in the autumn, there will be "a short window of opportunity" for councils "in areas where there is a widely held view that this is the right way to move" to make their case for unitary status.

She said she envisaged this being "a small number of councils" and "in the clear majority of council areas, two tiers will remain and in all these areas we will need better joint working".

Coun John Hill, leader of Ribble Valley Council, added: "We are not seeking any marriages, and will not abandon the Ribble Valley to our big brothers."

"If unitary authorities come we would be looking for people to merge with us not us with them. Everyone wants a bit of the Ribble Valley, they are not going to get it. Hands off we are going to remain intact."

The last time local government reorganisation was toyed with by the government it formed part of the failed regional assemblies plan in 2004.