County residents make plea to scrap new city boundary

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Villagers living on the edge of Leicester say plans to expand the city’s boundaries are unpopular among neighbours, following a plea to the government to reject the proposals.

The scheme forms part of the Local Government Reorganisation programme, which aims to replace multiple smaller councils with fewer larger ones.

As part of that process, Leicester City Council has proposed expanding Leicester’s boundaries to include all of Oadby and Wigston and parts of the boroughs of Charnwood, Harborough and Blaby.

The authority argues that expanding the boundary would create more coherence, provide space for future housing growth, and generate savings across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The city council says its preferred model could save around £46 million annually.

However, the proposals have proved controversial in some neighbouring communities, where residents fear losing their village identity and worry about future development pressures.

The Leicester plan is one of three competing proposals currently under consideration by the government. A public consultation closed earlier this year, with ministers expected to make a final decision in summer 2026.

On May 22, Harborough District Council (HDC) leader Simon Whelband wrote to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook urging the government to reject Leicester’s expansion proposals, citing concerns raised by residents.

For Thomas and Carol Thompson, aged 93 and 88, the plans would see their village of Scraptoft, currently administered by HDC, absorbed into the city authority.

The couple have lived in the village since 1956, having bought their home on the day they got married.

They fear inclusion within the city boundary could lead to further housing growth and worsening traffic problems. They say speeding is already a major issue outside their home on Beeby Road.

Mrs Thompson said: “I don’t think you’ll get many people who will support it. People that live here definitely don’t like the idea.

“This is a nice little spot but it has changed a lot. We’ve already got enough houses built in Scraptoft”

Another Scraptoft resident, John Duval, also a former councillor, was born and raised in Leicester before later moving out.

He said that while he values rural life, many of the pressures associated with the city are already being felt in the community.

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“I feel that I don’t want to be part of the city again. I like the idea of living in the county,” he said.

“But the things I don’t like about the city are happening in Scraptoft anyway. More houses, more people, far too much traffic, and litter.

“Everything’s going downhill. I feel that’s partly because of the influx of people and houses. It could bring benefits but at what cost?

“But let’s face it, it’s an invisible line across the road.”

Supporters of the expansion argue Leicester’s current boundaries are outdated and no longer reflect the reality of how the urban area has grown over the past century.

Ken Seville, from nearby Bushby, another village potentially affected by the proposals, also moved away from Leicester in his twenties.

Ken in his Bushby home. Photograph: Caitlin James

Unlike Scraptoft, he believes Bushby still feels clearly separate from the city.

He said: “I couldn’t believe how quiet it was. We’re quite spoiled here, there’s hardly any problems with crime. It’s a very quiet life.

“I can’t say why, but I just don’t like the idea of being under Leicester City Council.

“Nowadays, everywhere you go it seems to be changing and I don’t think the changes are always for the good.

“But you have got to have progress and I can see that eventually you have got to build houses for people.

“The services we get from HDC I think are first class”

According to Councillor Emma Lee, Scraptoft Parish Council has discussed the Local Government Reorganisation plans and agreed to support the North, City, South proposal put forward by the District Councils, which would see the city remain within its current boundaries, and the county split between north and south.

This would recreate three areas of roughly equal populations and size.

She said: “It’s felt that the city will not fully understand issues faced by a rural community. Many residents moved from the city to the village because they wanted to feel part of a village community and do not want to be subsumed by the city.”

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