'We don't want to be part of Nottingham city'

"The city is deteriorating... why would I want to bail them out?" says Rushcliffe resident Martin Holden.

He is among 7,000 people who have signed a petition opposing the area being joined with Nottingham city.

In December, the government announced plans for a major shake-up of local councils, which could see some authorities merged and others scrapped entirely.

It has not yet been decided what the future arrangement for Nottinghamshire will be, but for some, the very suggestion of a merger with Nottingham city is unpalatable.

Mr Holden, a retired HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) worker, fears his council tax bill could increase steeply to offset some of the city's financial difficulties.

"We're going to have a loss of local accountability, and I believe we're going to be used as a cash cow to feed the city council and pay for their past mistakes," he said.

City council bosses have previously argued the city's tight boundaries have contributed to its financial problems because it raises relatively little in council tax, with around 80% of properties in bands A or B.

Ministers have indicated they are open to redrawing boundaries "where there is evidence of failure."

It has led to some councillors in the boroughs surrounding Nottingham resisting any change which could see their areas effectively absorbed by the city.

Chairman of Rushcliffe Conservatives, Debbie Soloman, set up the petition and said members of the public had not been consulted on the plans.

"What we're hearing is people don't want to be part of the city," she said.

"They've got a reputation of failure, and when you speak to people about what will happen, the overwhelming message we are hearing is 'they do not want to be part of the failed city council'."

Last week, the leaders of all Nottinghamshire councils were presented with nine "workable" options for reorganisation by consultancy firm PWC.

Seven of these options involve some form of expansion of Nottingham to include either of the neighbouring boroughs of Rushcliffe, Gedling, and Broxtowe - or any combination of the three.

Equivalent petitions set up by Conservatives in Gedling and Broxtowe have received around 1,900 and 500 signatures, respectively.

Broxtowe resident Richard Phipps said he was concerned council services could suffer in the event of a merger with the city.

"As I get older, I worry about what would happen to me if I had a stroke," he said.

"I think by merging at the moment, we wouldn't get the level of care we'd get if we remained in the county area."

He added he is not opposed to joining with the city at some point in the future, but only if the city council's financial position improves.

Labour say reorganising councils will create "simpler, more efficient and clearer structures" and free up more money for frontline services.

A party spokesperson said: "No decision has been taken in Nottinghamshire, and any change in the boundaries will have to be put forward and agreed by councils.

"Councillors will listen to the views of their residents before any decision is taken.

"But we are so early in the process; it is too soon to speculate on what the outcome will be."

By Hugh Casswell, BBC Nottingham political reporter

Nottingham's tight boundaries have been a source of frustration for successive city council leaders for many years, but they reject any suggestion they're attempting a land grab, and they don't like the word "expansion".

Technically - they are correct.

Any reorganisation would in fact involve scrapping all of the councils in whatever geography it turns out to be and establishing a completely new authority in their place.

For people living in the surrounding boroughs who have signed these petitions, however, the semantics matter little.

While there have been signs of the city council's finances improving, the reputation as a failing authority will take much longer to shake off.

The city council has, however, declined my request for an interview on this topic.

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