In Leicestershire, the county council runs services like social care, highways, waste disposal, public health, trading standards and country parks.
District councils run housing, street cleaning, council tax collection, benefits, planning, leisure centres and local parks. In some areas parish and town councils also run some services.
This isn’t a takeover, or a judgment of which organisation is better.
The Government asked all councils in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to propose a single tier of local government. They’ve said it should be the right size to save money and withstand financial shocks. It should deliver high quality and sustainable services and enable stronger communities.
This is the biggest shake up of local government in 50 years, and we need to put residents first.
Person:Dan Harrison, Leader, Leicestershire County Council
About devolution
The greater prize of changing the way local services are run is devolution. This can bring more power and funding to Leicestershire - for economic growth, transport, housing and skills.
At the moment, Leicestershire is missing out on influence and funding streams because it sits outside of neighbouring ‘Combined Authorities’ which have elected mayors across multiple council areas.