Rutland MP says she has received reassurances from deputy prime minister Angela Rayner over county’s status

Deputy PM Angela Rayner has promised Rutland’s MP that she will look at solutions to protect the county in the local government shake-up that is coming down the tracks.

There are fears that the historic county could become obsolete in the reorganisation which is almost certainly to see the existing Rutland County Council abolished and replaced by a larger unitary authority.

After the 1997 local government reorganisation the county gained its independence from Leicestershire County Council and formed its own authority, however was seemingly mistakenly not named as one of the listed ceremonial counties in the Lieutenancy’s Act 1997.

Therefore as it is not listed as a ceremonial county in the law, there are concerns that if the county council is abolished, the county could lose its ceremonial status and the name disappear entirely.

Rutland’s MP Alicia Kearns has led a campaign to make sure Rutland is not lost and has now issued a statement to say she has had some assurances from the deputy PM whose department is overseeing the local government reorganisation.

Mrs Kearns (Con) said: “After explaining the unique risks posed to Rutland’s ceremonial county status, the Deputy Prime Minister assured me she will look into our situation, which her officials had not alerted her to. She also agreed on the importance of protecting local identities and that the reforms to local councils were not intended to scrap the ceremonial status of counties, but that unintended consequences needed to be looked into further.

“A legislative vehicle must now be identified by the Government to protect our county status, I have suggested amending the Lieutenancies Act 1997 to explicitly include Rutland as a county for the purposes of this Act.

“I made clear to the Deputy Prime Minister that we are simply asking that she ensure our identity is not lost as collateral damage from wider reforms. She has committed to work with me on a solution, and I hope one can be agreed on in the near future."

Speaking at the appointment of the new High Sheriff of Rutland last month Rutland’s Lord Lieutenant Dr Sarah Furness said: "The 1997 Lieutenancy Act does not include Rutland. This is probably an oversight because Rutland had just got independence.

"If Rutland County Council ceases, it appears we would no longer have county status. No one would need to abolish us, it would simply happen.

This is why reassurance that no one intends to abolish Rutland is no good."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has asked the government why Rutland is not listed in the Lord Lieutenancy Act and did not receive an answer. However the Government did say it would ensure that ceremonial and historic counties will continue to exist following any local government and that Lord Lieutenants and High Sheriffs are an important part of national heritage.

Local government reorganisation is unlikely to take place before 2028. Rutland County Council's leader Gale Waller (Lib Dem) has submitted to government a preference to join with some neighbouring Leicestershire councils. Government will make a final decision on which authorities join together.