No government pressure on local authorities, insists Minister

The Infrastructure Minister says he has no plans to impose membership cuts on local authorities.

Next year, there will be an inquiry assessing whether the board of Peel Commissioners is reduced from nine members to seven.

It’s been requested by the local authority which would become the latest to voluntarily downsize.

However, Phil Gawne says that is up to each authority and there’ll be no pressure applied from central government.

And he’s dismissed suggestions local authorities are being forced to take responsibility for a raft of public services, currently run by government.