The Government has now published its final proposals for local government reorganisation across Leicester and Leicestershire, and I want to be clear with you: I believe this is the wrong decision, and I will not stop my fight against it.
Under the Government’s plans, the villages of Birstall, Wanlip, Thurcaston, Cropston, Anstey, Glenfield, Kirby Muxloe, Leicester Forest East, Thorpe Astley and Braunstone Town, will be removed from the county and absorbed into an expanded Leicester City Council area.
These are communities with their own proud histories and distinct identities, and this proposal would fundamentally alter their character and governance. They have little in common with the city, and they deserve to be heard.
As you will be aware I have been campaigning vigorously against this proposal since the moment I was elected as your MP. I raised it in Parliament, I challenged Ministers directly, and I made the case at every opportunity that expanding the city boundary at the expense of our villages is simply wrong.
The Government’s decision to press ahead regardless is, frankly, appalling, and it shows a disregard for the views of residents, local councils, and their elected representatives.
But this fight is not over. I will continue to oppose these plans with every tool available to me as your Member of Parliament. I am launching a formal petition and I am asking for your support. Every signature matters and sends a clear message to Government that the people of Mid Leicestershire will not accept having our communities redrawn against our wishes.
Once I have gathered the signatures of as many residents as possible, I will be presenting this petition on the floor of the House of Commons. This is one of the most direct ways a Member of Parliament can bring the voice of their constituents into Parliament, and I intend to use it to make absolutely certain that your concerns are heard at the very heart of our democracy.
Our villages have their own identities, their own histories, and their own futures. They are not an extension of Leicester City, and they should not be governed as though they were. I will keep fighting for that principle and I hope you will stand with me.
I encourage you to VOTE TO OPPOSE this terrible, terrible proposal!
