Burnley to merge with Blackburn, Pendle, Rossendale and Hyndburn in new council
Burnley Council's leader has described the Government's plans to merge Burnley with four neighbouring councils and Blackburn with Darwen as "nothing short of a disaster".
Following Thursday's announcement on the future of local government in Lancashire, Independent council leader Coun. Afrasiab Anwar launched a scathing attack on both the process and the proposed new authority, which would see Burnley join Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn and Blackburn with Darwen in a single unitary council.
The Government's preferred option forms part of a wider shake-up of local government across Lancashire, replacing the existing two-tier system of county and district councils with larger unitary authorities.
Coun. Anwar said the announcement had been handled poorly, claiming around 20,000 council staff across Lancashire, including employees at Burnley Council, had learned about the decision through media reports rather than directly from their employers.
He said: "This morning's announcement from Government on the future of local government in Lancashire is nothing short of a disaster.
“Around 20,000 staff working across Lancashire councils, including all our staff at Burnley Council, should not be finding out about decisions affecting their jobs, their organisations and the future of local government through media reports.”
He also criticised the Government for rejecting proposals developed by councils across Lancashire after months of work.
"Over recent months, councils across Lancashire have invested huge amounts of time, money and expertise into developing proposals for local government reorganisation," he said. "All of that work now appears to have counted for very little."
Coun Anwar argued the proposed East Lancashire authority would bring together "some of the most deprived and economically challenged communities in the country", while excluding Ribble Valley, creating what he described as an unbalanced authority.
“It risks creating a unitary authority for Pennine Lancashire that is the most deprived in the country and being set up to fail from day one,” he said.
The Burnley leader also drew comparisons with the centralisation of hospital services in Blackburn, saying many residents remained concerned about access to services being moved further away from the town.
“Residents in Burnley know all too well what can happen when services are moved further away from our town,” he said. “The loss and centralisation of hospital services towards Blackburn has been a disaster for many local people.
“If that experience has taught us anything, it is that bigger and more centralised does not automatically mean better.”
Coun. Anwar said MPs representing East Lancashire had also voiced concerns during the Government's announcement in the House of Commons.
He added: “If ministers are not listening to local council leaders, not listening to local communities and not listening to local Members of Parliament, then who exactly are they listening to?
“That is the question many residents will now be asking.”
The Burnley leader said the council would now consider the implications of the announcement and any options still available.
“We will continue to stand up for Burnley and for East Lancashire because our residents deserve a local government structure that gives our communities the best possible chance to succeed.
“Unfortunately, today's announcement does the opposite and the Government needs to reconsider.”