Rutland County Council’s Cabinet has endorsed the North, City, South proposal for Local Government Reorganisation, indicating support for it to be submitted to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Councils across England have been engaged in a government-led process of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) since December 2024, following publication of the English devolution white paper.

The Government has set a final deadline of 28 November 2025 for councils to submit or indicate their support for one single LGR proposal. Rutland is included in three different LGR plans:

·        The Leicester City Council proposal, which could expand the City boundaries and include Rutland in a single Leicestershire unitary

·        An option being put forward by Leicestershire County Council for a two-unitary model with an unchanged Leicester City and a large Leicestershire unitary that absorbs Rutland

• The North, City, South proposal for a three-unitary model covering the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland area, which would form a new North Leicestershire and Rutland council

These proposals were discussed and debated by Rutland County Councillors at a Full Council meeting on Thursday 20 November. A previous Cabinet meeting on 14 October recommended this debate should be focussed on identifying the proposal which provides the best means of ensuring long-term financial sustainability and high quality sustainable public services for Rutland, as well as meeting specific evaluation criteria set by the UK Government.

The Council’s Strategic Overview and Scrutiny Committee conducted a similar exercise at its meeting on 16 October 2025. A special task and finish group was set up to compare all available LGR proposals that include Rutland, with a detailed evaluation report published as part of the November Full Council meeting. 

At the end of Rutland’s Full Council debate on 20 November, 18 Elected Members not on cabinet were invited to participate in a non-binding informal vote to indicate which proposal, if any, they supported. The results of the vote were as follows:

• Leicester City Council proposal – 0 votes
• Leicestershire County Council proposal – 0 votes
• The North, City, South proposal – 9 votes

Nine councillors did not cast a vote to indicate a preference.

Councillor Gale Waller, Leader of Rutland County Council, said: “Devolving more power and funding to councils is something I think most people support. This is what the Government has said it wants to achieve. However, the demands that Ministers have put on councils and the way they’ve gone about it – mandating a radical overhaul of local government in less than a year – has created huge pressure and a lot of frustration. I’ve said throughout that this is not something we want to do. However, pretending we can stop or simply ignore a government with a huge parliamentary majority benefits no one.

“I’ve also said time and again that councils must be led by evidence when deciding which LGR proposal represents the best option for our residents. I’m grateful to Members for the careful consideration they gave to each of the available LGR proposals at our Full Council meeting. I’d particularly like to thank our Scrutiny Committee for the speed and quality of work undertaken by its task and finish group, whose evaluation helped to inform our debate. After taking all of this into account, interrogating each of the three options open to us and listening to the thoughts and feelings of our residents, Cabinet determined that North, City, South is the proposal that provides the best chance of ensuring long-term financial sustainability and high-quality services for Rutland.

“It’s important to stress that Government – not councils – will make the final decision on the future makeup of local authorities, sometime next year. Indeed, Ministers may completely disregard the option we’ve chosen to endorse. The most important thing at this moment is that a proposal goes forward to the Government on 28 November that is as beneficial to Rutland as it possibly can be. We believe that, from the three available options, North, City, South is the proposal most likely to deliver future prosperity for our residents.”

The UK Government has indicated that, following the endorsement and submission of final LGR proposals on 28 November, it will look to hold a public consultation within specific areas in early 2026.

A Government decision on which LGR proposals to implement across England is expected in summer 2026. Shadow elections for new authorities are expected in 2027, followed by a vesting day when new councils officially take over in 2028.

The agenda and reports for Cabinet on Friday 21 November 2025 can be read in full on Rutland County Council’s website: www.rutland.gov.uk/meetings. Minutes and a recording from the meeting will be published within one week of the meeting date.

A video recording of Rutland County Council’s Full Council meeting on Thursday 20 November is available to view on the Council’s YouTube channel.

This Post will expire at 1:12pm on Monday December 22nd, 2025.

Your trusty band of hardy would be thespians are at it again! Now the weather is getting colder and the evenings are drawing in, this Oscar aspiring band of somewhat deranged villagers are banding together again for your theatrical joy and wonderment. Yes! we’ve actually had some rehearsals already.

This year promises an even more spectacular extravaganza than last year. For those of you scared of little furry critters I can promise there will be none of them running across the car park this year! However, there will be new occurrences intermingled with the usual mayhem and live rewriting of the script on the night.

We are all so looking forward to kicking off your Christmas week again this year. Sunday 21st December at 6.00 is the date to have in your diary. Please do be there. Who knows what might happen on the night?!

More postings as we progress in rehearsals (if we progress in rehearsals!!) As always we can’t do this without you all. Our audience is our inspiration! See you there!

Support Jamaica, from Amari and Jaimi (fellow North Luffenham residents) 

We have set up a GoFundMe page with one of us being of Jamaican heritage, to support our family and friends who have been terribly affected by the hurricane. 

We are only providing donations to those we personally know who have lost their entire homes which are located in the St Elizabeth area of Jamaica – one of the worse affected areas. 

If you could kindly share and donate anything – it will be very helpful and will go a long way. 

I know we can’t do much, but we also couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. So any help will be appreciated and is going to people in serious need – having lost everything just before Christmas too. 

Many thanks

Link to donate: https://gofund.me/3b29e1145

An evening of music and reflection, as Rutland celebrates all
who have served or are serving in HM Forces. The concert will
feature a wide variety of musical and other performances from
pupils at Rutland’s secondary schools as well as:
The Cottesmore Military Wives Choir,
The LNR ACF Corps of Drums
Uppingham School Pipe Band

All profits going to support the Rutland Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal

Tickets are now available for £25 per person

https://www.eventcreate.com/e/rutland-festival-of-remembrance-concert

This Post will expire at 4:55pm on Wednesday December 3rd, 2025.

Yes we’re having another pantomime! Under the cover of darkness and with several burly security guards on hand the script for the North Luffenham Pantomime 2025 was delivered to a secret hiding place by magic flying carpet in the dead of night last night.

Now we have the script all we need is our thespians. The same rule applies this year as in all others. If you think you can’t act then you are just who we are looking for! We want to see enthusiastic amateurs giving it their all. Those of you who have seen previous pantomimes will know the level of acting that is required (and I use the word “acting” with deep caution!)

So we are holding a first meeting next Wednesday (22nd) at 7.00pm in The upper room at The Fox for all who would like to be involved in this years undoubted five star performance!

It’s always great fun so please come along if you want to be involved. We would love to have you there. If you can feel your Hamlets twitching or you feel you can contribute to our much ado about nothing please come along and get involved.

Oh and just a quick tempter – The Pantomime Title? GoldyFox and the Three Beers!

Hopefully we will see you on Wednesday (22nd) at 7.00pm

Let the fun and the overacting start again!

Gift vouchers are also available from Sue…

The Haley Brothers will be playing at Edith Weston Village Hall on Saturday 8th November

Tickets are £20, available from Edith Weston Village Store or Sarah Lunn – Details below

This Post will expire at 11:00am on Wednesday December 10th, 2025.

This Post will expire at 10:46am on Friday December 5th, 2025.