Leader considering ‘step back’ from politics after four decades
Reorganisation plans for Nottinghamshire will see the area's councillor number more than halving from 408 to 19818:03, 05 Aug 2026A long-standing council leader says he is considering having ‘no part’ in. . .
Reorganisation plans for Nottinghamshire will see the area's councillor number more than halving from 408 to 19818:03, 05 Aug 2026A long-standing council leader says he is considering having ‘no part’ in upcoming elections for a new Nottinghamshire council. Nottinghamshire is currentlyheaded for its largest boundary shake-up in 50 yearsafter the government confirmed its decision on how the area’s nine councils would be reduced to just two in July. This process is calledlocal government reorganisation(LGR) and, by 2028, sections of Broxtowe,Gedlingand Rushcliffe will become part of an enlarged Nottingham city area to form one unitary authority, and a second unitary will cover the rest of the county – stamping out the county area’s existing two-tier structure. Under the plans, the number of councillors across the city, county and the existing borough and district authorities will be slashed in half from 408 to 198. The new authorities will have 99 councillors each. The Labour Government’s LGR plans have been shrouded in debate and criticism since they were announced in December 2024, with some council leaders routinely voicing concerns about their potential impact on services and local representation. Others believe the changes will make key services – such as adult social care, children’s services and education – more streamlined under one council roof and say the councillor-to-resident ratio will not alter that much, meaning representation should not be impacted. One long-standing Nottinghamshire council leader, Milan Radulovic, says he may not want “any part” in the new unitary authority covering part of his area once the shadow elections roll round in May 2027. Cllr Radulovic has served as the leader ofBroxtowe Borough Councilfor more than 20 years, leading the Broxtowe Alliance group since January 2025, and has been in politics since 1986. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Cllr Radulovic says he is considering taking a ‘step back’ from politics after four decades due to his unhappiness with how LGR has unfolded in his area. He said: “It’s typical of the government and Whitehall and the establishment to want to cut down dramatically the number of elected representatives of local people, because they want to stifle voices and the opposition of institutional plans. “What they’ve done under LGR is an attack to democracy, severely limited people to a voice and a right in their area, it’s an extremely dangerous precedent. “We are slowly but surely heading towards a dictatorship in this country. ”When asked whether he plans to stand in the 2027 shadow elections for the new unitary authority in his area – whereEastwoodwould come under the new Nottinghamshire Council – he said: “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t think I want any part of the new authority… the lone voice can be lost. “I may [take a step back], I may take a step forward and say ‘I told you so’. “I’ve never taken a step back, I’ve tried my best to fight for local people, helped them into jobs, bringing jobs into the area, protect and enhance the environment, protect our culture. Sometimes I think ‘for what?’“I want to see things evolve, with emerging technology, as a benefit to the people, not as another sword hanging over their heads. ”Cllr Radulovic is not the only leader who is considering whether they want to be a part of council changes, where Cllr Neil Clarke (Con), leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, says his main frustration with LGR is feeling as though there has not been “sufficient” public engagement in the process, with it being “railroaded through”. Cllr Clarke has been a councillor for 40 years and has led Rushcliffe’s Council for a combined 16 years. He said: “The boundaries being proposed by theCity Council[LGR] option, within the borough of Rushcliffe, have been drawn up by someone in the City Council with no knowledge of Rushcliffe at all. “I would like to be part of the new [authority] arrangements because I still think I’ve got a lot of experience to offer. “However, I do qualify that it depends on the structure of what the new councils will be and what the ward boundaries will be – if I feel they’re not workable or not efficient then maybe I need to take a view of whether I want to be a part of it. ”Cllr Clarke has shared publicly that he is considering taking a judicial review over Nottinghamshire’s LGR arrangements but no review has been confirmed at this stage. He has contended the government has contradicted its own guidelines, which initially stated existing districts and boroughs would not be divided and new councils would serve a minimum population of 500,000. Judicial reviews would involve a judge examining whether a decision or action taken by a public body was lawful, though they can only be used to question how a decision was reached, rather than the merits of that decision itself. Other politicians have expressed more enthusiasm for the upcoming changes. Councillor Paul Peacock (Lab), leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “As a district councillor, there may be concern for local voices [being lost] in terms of waste collection, looking after parks and museums – that’s a fair comment – but a lot of that is the detail of what the unitaries will become. “My view is we should be looking at setting up local area committees [in the new unitaries], which can involve businesses and local people as well. “I want to be right in the middle. Moving to unitary is a fantastic opportunity to improve services for residents, improve effectiveness and efficiency of services – I want to be right in the middle of that. ”Councillor Sam Smith (Con), current Gedling Borough councillor, and also Nottinghamshire County Councillor for Newark East, said he “doesn’t buy” the lack of representation argument from others. He was also the previous leader of theCounty Councilbefore Reform UK took control in 2025. He said: “The most confusing thing is if there are leaves on top of a drain you contact the [Newark and Sherwood] district council, if there’s leaves inside the drain you contact me, as the County Councillor. Article continues below“LGR, if done right, will create more efficient and effective councillors and will become a one-stop shop. If I’m lucky enough to get elected again, residents can contact me about bins, leaves on top and inside the drain, planning, social care – that can only be a good thing. ”The Department for Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was contacted for comment.