Fears council shake-up in England could spell end of independent-run areas

A major shake-up of local councils in England could spell the end of areas where independents – with no allegiance to major political parties – are in charge, councillors fear.

There has been a steady increase in the number of independent councillors over the past decade, with more than 2,200 across England and Wales.

At the moment, groups of independents are involved in running 63 councils, either on their own or in partnership with other parties.

The vast majority – 47 – are smaller district or borough councils, many of which are set to be scrapped or merged under government plans.

Big city councils and regional mayors are dominated by Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Ministers argue combining smaller councils would make local government simpler and save money by making the delivery of services more efficient.

But Marianne Overton, leader of the Local Government Association’s Independent Group, said if councillors represented bigger areas it would weaken the link with communities and make it harder for independents to be elected.

Independents argue they can better reflect local views as they do not have to follow the positions of a national party.

However, proposals to reorganise local government – which amount to the biggest shake-up since the 1970s – could threaten the representation of independents, opponents say.

Mrs Overton told the BBC: “When you have fewer councillors, it means they have bigger areas to cover and it starts to become an impossible task to be a local councillor.

“That tilts towards big, national parties.”

Mrs Overton, who is an independent councillor on North Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County Council, is worried that scrapping smaller councils will mean fewer are led by independents.

In Lincolnshire for example, there are currently two independent-run district councils but the larger county council is dominated by Conservatives.

“I fear it will be a dramatic loss of ability for local people to get their voice heard,” she said.

The government says its plans would streamline services and improve accountability, as well as save money for the taxpayer.

But Mrs Overton said existing councils could work together to share services and be more efficient.

She added: “Councils are not just an efficient delivery. We also are a democratic organisation that listens to people and changes the services to match what local people want. It’s not all about efficiency.”

One council that could be under threat is Castle Point in Essex – one of only two local authorities in England made up solely of independents.

Steve Mountford, deputy leader of the People’s Independent Party, which runs the council, said the government’s proposals were “a step backwards for independents”, who he argues have less of a voice in shaping the structure of new councils.

Mountford said his party would be “fighting tooth and nail” for survival and was hoping to stand in every seat in any new authority.

“We’ve got nothing to lose by stepping up against one of the two parties that are in control when there’s something at a national level that affects local people,” he said.

“We’re not doing things to be re-elected, we’re doing it because we live in the borough and we care about it.”

John Gallagher, the independent leader of Malvern Hills District Council, is also concerned about the plans.

Worcestershire County Council has asked the government to postpone May’s local elections so it can submit a proposal for one unitary authority to replace the seven existing councils in the area.

“When you make bigger councils that become more remote, you also have larger party machines operating at the bigger level more effectively,” he said.

He believes that larger structures would mean a bigger workload and “exclude” independents who are not professional politicians with the backing of a major party.

He added: “I think it’s less democracy because if you’re driven by national politics rather than local politics, the local communities would suffer as a result of that because whoever would be running the administration would be toeing the party line.”

He pointed out that Worcestershire County Council had been Conservative-run for years, while in Malvern Hills the council is run by a coalition of independents and Conservatives.

“If it were to go to unitary county, there would be no district council representation, there would be no independent voices,” he said.

“They would be a secondary voice because they wouldn’t be running the administration.”

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Our council reorganisation plans will strengthen local democracy and empower local leaders to meet the needs of their communities.

“This will boost local accountability and save taxpayers’ money which can be reinvested into vital public services, as part of the biggest ever transfer of power away from Westminster.”