A protest has taken place against plans to expand Leicester into neighbouring towns and villages.
About 200 people gathered on Thursday to show their opposition to the move that will see the city’s council boundary extend in all directions into areas currently served by neighbouring councils.
The city expansion is part of the Labour government’s plan to reshape the political map of Leicestershire and Rutland by replacing 10 existing councils with two new local authorities.
Protesters said they were angry about the prospect of becoming part of an enlarged Leicester council and described the move as a “land grab”.
The protest, attended by Tory MPs and councillors as well as Reform UK, Liberal Democrat and Green politicians, took place outside Leicestershire County Council’s headquarters in Glenfield, ahead of an emergency meeting to debate the changes.
A motion, tabled by Liberal Democrat county councillors, said the move would “drag 100,000s of county residents into Leicester city, overwhelmingly against their will” and was “an undemocratic disgrace”.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the process, known as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), would improve public services, create larger, more financially sustainable councils, and provide land needed for new homes to accommodate Leicester’s growing population.
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