Alberto has secured a meeting with Prime Minister Andy Burnham after raising Leicester city expansion plans at Prime Minister’s Questions.
At PMQs on Wednesday, Alberto told the House that villagers in Blaby, Enderby, Huncote, Cosby and Countesthorpe and other villages did not want to be drawn into the city against their wishes.
He said: “These are rural or semi-rural villages which have little in common with the urban area of the city of Leicester. They have responded to the Government’s consultation and said they do not want to be part of the city of Leicester. This is nothing to do with devolution. It is local government reform, changing the boundaries. The Prime Minister said he is in listening mode. Will he therefore agree to meet me, the villagers of these areas I have mentioned, and other stakeholders?”
The Prime Minister agreed to meet with Mr Costa. Mr Costa will, along with a handful of local stakeholders, repeat the case to the Prime Minister that city expansion is not welcome.
More than 15,000 people in South Leicestershire have signed a petition against city expansion. Nearly 40,000 signatures have been collected across Leicestershire and Rutland.
Alberto has welcomed the Government’s decision to pause local government reorganisation in the area, but warned that the threat of expansion remains. Sir Peter Soulsby has said the plans have been paused, not cancelled, and that he still expects expansion to happen.
Alberto said:
“The pause is welcome. It is not the same as taking city expansion off the table. That is why I asked the Prime Minister to meet residents, and why I am glad he agreed to my request.
“I will use that meeting to put the case plainly. South Leicestershire does not want to be absorbed into Leicester. Our villages are not spare land for the city.
“Monday’s demonstration is still on. A pause is not a victory. We need to show the Government and the City Mayor that local people are still united against this plan. The objective is simple: get city expansion taken off the table. Until that happens, we keep going.”
Residents will gather on Whitehall on Monday 14th September at 1.15pm, outside Downing Street. Mr Costa, along with Leicestershire MPs Neil O'Brien, Peter Bedford, Ed Argar, Alicia Kearns and Dr Luke Evans will take the petition into No10 at 2pm.
