'Nothing will stop town revamp' - council leader

"Nothing will get in the way" of plans to rejuvenate Rugby town centre despite the prospect of local government reorganisation looming large, a council leader has said.

Rugby Borough Council leader Michael Moran has issued the message in response to fears that plans to merge Warwickshire's biggest councils into one could impact projects at a local level.

The two tiers of council in the county could be scrapped to make way for a single authority under new plans from the government.

If Warwickshire was selected for the first wave of changes, elections for the new authority would be delayed until May 2026.

All six current county, district and borough councils would then disappear to be replaced by a new authority, probably by April 2027.

It has led to concerns that Rugby's location will lead to it being forgotten and that regeneration plans could be placed on the back burner.

Mr Moran is the only district or borough leader in the county not to oppose the speed of the plans, reasoning that efficiencies could and should be made and that not enough detail had been established to object at this stage.

"Rugby's regeneration is going to take place; it is literally the cornerstone of what we are doing," he said.

"It is going to happen, and blood, sweat and tears will deliver that.

"Nothing will get in the way."

Warwickshire County Council leader Izzi Seccombe OBE recently rubber-stamped the political decision to go ahead with unitary plans in the quickest possible timescale, despite reservations being articulated by councillors at various levels.

Among them was Rugby borough councillor Isabelle McKenzie, who questioned whether regeneration plans would be affected by the need for a new authority to fund costly demand-led services like education and social care.

Mr Moran said the success of the project "comes down to the quality of the individuals".

"It is incumbent on those who are elected in Rugby to speak up for Rugby," he said.

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