The leaders of two Gloucestershire district councils say the Labour Government’s plans for local government reorganisation will “steal power away from local people”.

The Government published the English Devolution White Paper last week week. Ministers say they aim to give more powers to local government. But it also proposes creating more unitary councils which, in Gloucestershire, would mean district councils would be abolished.

The leaders of the councils in the Forest of Dean and Stroud have expressed “deep concerns” that the proposals could take decision-making power away and erode trust in politics.

Responding to the White Paper, the Greens have expressed support for the Government’s intention to devolve power to a more local level.

But they highlighted the danger to local democracy that could come from Labour’s proposals to move decision-making to regional mayors and replace England’s 164 district councils – the tier of local government closest to communities – with large new unitary councils with populations over half a million.

Forest of Dean District Council leader Adrian Birch (Tidenham) said: “The big problem with Labour’s plans is the democratic deficit. These plans will mean scrapping district councils across Gloucestershire, with local services being controlled by vast councils that are remote from our communities.

“As Greens, we want decisions to be made as close as possible to the people most affected, and we will champion our local communities’ voices, so that views from all corners of the county are heard.”

These concerns have been echoed by his counterpart across the Severn. Stroud District Council leader Catherine Braun (Wotton-under-Edge) Cllr Catherine Braun, Leader of Stroud District Council, said: “It’s clear that the Government is committed to council reform, and we will do our utmost to get the best possible outcome for a greener and more prosperous future for people in Gloucestershire.

“I welcome the principle of devolution, the new powers to improve bus and train services, and stronger rights for communities to buy assets, like youth clubs and sport facilities.

“However, I’m concerned about the concentration of power in the hands of a few individual mayors who could place national politics over the needs of Gloucestershire communities.”

And the Green group leader at Gloucestershire County Council and Tewkesbury Borough Cate Cody (Tewkesbury) said the plans risk deepening existing disillusionment and cynicism about politics.

“Evidence shows that creating larger councils erodes local democracy, having a negative impact on trust in councillors, public engagement and voter turnout. With a much bigger distance between voters and the councils that serve them, there’s a real risk that people will feel disengaged from local democracy.

“Maintaining trust in local government will be key for the decisions ahead so I would like to see this reform as an opportunity to renew and strengthen our democratic institutions, and to introduce a fair proportional voting system for local elections.”

Gloucestershire County Council’s Conservative leader Stephen Davies (Hardwicke and Severn) expressed his administration’s intent for a unitary council for the county. In Gloucester, proposals to abolish the City Council have been met with strong objections from its current leader Jeremy Hilton.