Blackburn residents have offered a mixed reception to plans for local government reorganisation, which will see all Lancashire's councils scrapped and replaced by four big authorities.
Some suggested there would be “less accountability” while others pointed to the successes of larger authorities, and others didn't even know it was happening.
In the biggest council shake-up in more than 50 years, Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale are all set to be placed into one authority, pencilled in as 'Pennine Lancashire'.
The government argued that each so-called ‘unitary’ authority would be “large enough to be financially secure and stable but small enough to remain responsive to local needs and ensure fair access to democracy”.
Even taking a “cautious approach”, they said they expected to achieve cumulative net savings of £194.9 million across the four councils, with recurring annual benefits of £81.9m from 2032/33 onwards.
On the sunny streets of Blackburn town centre, just after the announcement, the reception from residents out and about was mixed.
Michael Logan, 60, from Blackburn, argued that the changes would reduce accountability and subject public bodies to less scrutiny.
The changes will see the number of councillors across Lancashire slashed from the almost 700 that currently have seats on the upper and second-tier authorities to a number somewhere in the 200s.
He said: “The accountability is going away compared to the lower-tier authorities.
"They are going to become more remote, and it will mean there will be less scrutiny.
“We have seen that there are fewer layers of government in Scotland and Wales and they are struggling.
"If you look at what happened with the SNP, it opens up more room for corruption and less accountability.”
Roger Townsend agreed, and said that he thought the decision was not a good one, and that he wanted local government run locally.
This point was echoed by Richard Noorby, who said that the money in the county would remain centralised in Preston due to the city’s railway links.
He said: “Blackburn is dying; it has been for years.
"This new reorganisation will centralise things in Preston. It has the railway; the only thing Blackburn has is its cathedral.
“Burnham doesn’t know that things exist north of Manchester, and Blair stopped the conferences in Blackpool in favour of having them in Manchester.”
However, Vic Preston, visiting Blackburn from Chorley, said that local government reorganisation had worked for city-regions like Liverpool and Manchester, "so why couldn’t it work for East Lancashire"?
Shabir Ibrahaim, 64, agreed that it would make things better if they combined with other authorities, but said that there needed to be transparency on where money was being spent.
He said: “If this place became a city, that would be good. They have been trying for a long time.
“How is it [East Lancashire] so poor? I have been to Darwen, and there is a lot of money coming through.
“They have started doing the roads, and other places have been doing it properly.
"There are other things they should be spending it on, and we need to know where the money is going.”
A number of people who we spoke to in the town centre didn't want to go on the record, as they didn't know anything about the reorganisation plans or the impact was going to have.
Several also said they weren't even aware that the council structure of the county was going to change.
East Lancashire MPs Sarah Smith, who represents Hyndburn, and Oliver Ryan, who represents Burnley, have decried the plans.
Ms Smith said: “The plans that are being presented today will make East Lancashire one of the most deprived unitary authorities in the country.”
Mr Ryan said: “Unitaries have big benefits, but I am so angry with these proposals.
"This new East Lancs authority with Blackburn, without the Ribble Valley, by our own statistics, we have created the most deprived unitary authority in the country with a lot of debt on its books.”
He added: “Our people, our bondholders, our culture, our businesses, and our communities can’t be steamrolled and forgotten in this way.”
Earlier today, Steve Reed rejected accusations of “gerrymandering” in Labour’s favour as he confirmed the decision, pointing out the cross-party support for the majority of the changes made.
The Communities Secretary announced 38 new single-tier unitary councils will replace 134 authorities serving 15 million people, including changes to current municipal boundaries.
Mr Reed added the latest decisions on new council structures would result in more than 250 fewer senior posts and “significant” salary savings.
He said the 3,000 reduction in the number of councillors could save up to £20 million a year on allowances alone.
Councils recently called on the new prime minister to reconsider the programme of local government reorganisation, citing concerns the complexity, speed and scale of the changes pose a risk to critical functions such as safeguarding and housing.
Eamonn O’Brien, new Labour chair of the Local Government Association, said the Government should be more flexible in its approach, including adjusting tight timetables where necessary, or risk undermining core services for communities.
The Government pledged to deliver wholesale reorganisation of councils in this Parliament by abolishing second-tier districts in largely rural areas and creating smaller unitary authorities.
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Councillor Asjad Mahmood, leader of Pendle Council, said: “We are naturally disappointed that the Government has not reached the decision we were hoping for.
“We made a strong case on behalf of Pendle’s residents, businesses and communities, but we respect the outcome.
“Our priority now is to work constructively with Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Rossendale and Burnley to ensure that we establish a unitary council which will continue to provide the best possible services.
“Together, we will promote growth, inclusion and prosperity while respecting the identities, history and geography of East Lancashire.
“We will build a financially strong council for the future - one that is responsive to local needs and focused on delivering better outcomes for residents, businesses and local communities.
“And we will continue to work hard for the Pendle community, so that our area’s interests are fully represented as the new council is created.”
Andy Burnham has promised to give the UK a “new direction” with the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall in modern times once he enters Number 10 Downing Street.
Mr Reed has said reorganisation will prepare areas for mayoral devolution, with new smaller councils best positioned to form combined authorities.
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