Writing in this week's Bromsgrove Standard (August 5th), Bradley said:
“I’ve recently been accused of scaremongering over the threat of Bromsgrove and the Villages being consumed by Birmingham. Well, the threat is real, and here’s the proof.
As part of the Government’s local government reorganisation, they’ve made the decision to expand Leicester City's borders.
Leicester’s boundary is expanding to nearly double the city's population, growing from roughly 372,000 to 623,000 residents. The Government confirmed the expansion to create a significantly larger unitary council by absorbing several surrounding towns, villages, and suburbs.
In their decision-making, the Government has said they've expanded Leicester to unlock around 30,000 homes and 67 hectares of employment land.
If the Government can do this in Leicester, they can almost certainly do this in Birmingham too. The threat of Bromsgrove and the Villages being consumed by Birmingham in the future is real and any attempt to deny it is not being truthful or upfront with residents.
Ever since the Government embarked on the largest reorganisation of local government in Worcestershire in over 50 years, I’ve been warning that splitting our county in two opens the door to Bromsgrove and the Villages being consumed by Birmingham. And that’s exactly what the Government has done by announcing two unitary authorities will be created in Worcestershire: one in the north and one in the south of the county.
The north Worcestershire unitary authority will provide all of the services you currently receive from Bromsgrove District Council and Worcestershire County Council.
This decision has not been made in the best interests of local residents. It’s locked residents into higher council tax bills. We’ll be paying more for less. That's why I fought for One Worcestershire unitary authority which would have streamlined services, reduced waste and duplication and ultimately saved council taxpayers’ money.
The Government’s decision-making is also inconsistent. They’ve approved one unitary authority for Gloucestershire, which has a similar population size to Worcestershire, yet they’ve decided to split our county in two.
Worcestershire has a distinct identity, and it's a travesty to see our historic county split in two, putting Bromsgrove and the Villages at risk of becoming an extension of Birmingham.”
