Test Valley councillors questioned on LGR and devolution

At a public meeting on Thursday, March 27, Test Valley councillors Mark Cooper, Nik Daas and John Parker said Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and devolution were upending the borough with no obvious benefits.

Responding to an audience confused by the government's policies, Cllr Cooper said: "I think it's fair to say the government doesn't understand the role of parish and town councils in quite the way it should do and that's the issue."

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Cllr Nik Daas and Cllr Mark Cooper spoke at the Romsey Forum on Thursday, March 27 (Image: Charles Elliman) Issues from bin collections to town and parish councils having to take on more responsibility were discussed, but Cllr Cooper said the public needed to do more to hold the government to account.

He said: "I haven't had in the past few weeks a single email, or a single phone call, on Devolution or LGR... No-one knows what's going on out there.

"To be brutally frank, as long as people find that their potholes are filled in now and again and their bins are collected...they don't mind what system they have.

"And the government is relying on that complacency to sneak LGR through on the back of devolution."

Questioned about devolution and LGR, Caroline Nokes, the MP for Romsey and Southampton North, said: "It is very clear that the government is determined to change the way local government is organised and I do think we are better off trying to work for the best solution for Hampshire than just throwing bricks from the sidelines.

"But change is never easy, and as a proud former member of Test Valley Borough Council, I know how hard the borough and its councillors work to keep Test Valley a beautiful place to live and work. 

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The MP for North West Hampshire, Kit Malthouse, said: "The way the government is pushing through local government reform is deeply worrying.

"It’s chaotic, top-down, and shows little understanding of how councils actually serve their communities.

"Local authorities are already under immense pressure, and instead of offering support or clarity, ministers are creating more uncertainty.

"This kind of rushed reorganisation risks damaging frontline services and weakening local accountability."

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has been approached for comment.