Rutland is England's smallest county and was first recorded almost 1,000 years ago. Despite its size, it absolutely justifies its county motto "Multum in Parvo", meaning "Much in Little".

Among other things;

· Its 900 year old Noman castle has served as a Court since 1229 - the longest continuous period for any location in England.

· It has been a recognised ceremonial county for at least 850 years and has had a High Sheriff since 1129 and a Lord Lieutenant since 1559. 

· The castle houses a unique collection of over 240 ceremonial horseshoes presented by monarchs and nobles since Edward IV in 1470.

· It is home to Rutland Water, Europe's largest man made reservoir which has an internationally recognised reputation for conservation and hosts the world's largest annual bird fair.

· It is home to more than 50 historic villages many of which have played some small part in events that shaped our nation including the Reformation, the Civil War, the Gunpowder Plot and two World Wars.

Rutland's unique story was almost bought to an end by a local government reorganisation in 1974 but, thanks to the efforts of Rutlanders, its independence and identity was restored in 1997 and Rutland continues to provide a unique experience to its residents - and to the 2 million plus visitors who visit each year to find out what makes this curious little County so special.

Sadly, Rutland's identity and existence as a Ceremonial County is once again under threat as a (probably unintended) consequence of the planned reorganisation set out in the English Devolution White Paper.

In short, the Government is proposing to remove layers of local government and create a smaller number of Mayoralties, each covering several county councils of 500,000 people or more. It is likely that Rutland County Council will be combined with other local district or borough councils to form one larger entity.

Worryingly, the way the existing law and the proposed legislation are framed will result in the Historical Ceremonial County of Rutland simply ceasing to exist.

Rutlanders do not believe that this is the intention of the proposed legislation and the continued existence of Rutland as a Ceremonial County will not in any way prevent the wider purposes of the changes from being given their full effect.

However, the Government will need to take positive steps to ensure the continued existence of Rutland as a County and as an identity for its residents.

All that is needed is for the Government to include a line within any planned legislation, or to prepare a statutory instrument to change the existing law to make Rutland's status as a Ceremonial County independent of its status as a Unitary Authority so that if the Unitary Authority is abolished, the Ceremonial County is not– most easily achieved by amending the 1997 Lord Lieutenancies Act.

All of the events, traditions and achievements in this little patch of land are associated with Rutland and its people. Its unique identity is important to its residents and to the millions who visit each year. People visit Rutland because it is "the smallest county" in the same way they climb Scafell because it is "the highest mountain". If it ceases to exist more than 40,000 people will lose their cultural identity and the loss of visitors will devastate the local economy.

Please sign this petition asking the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure that- regardless of the outcome of the reorganisation - the 147 square miles that make up the unique county of Rutland will retain its identity and its attraction to visitors - and preserve a little bit of England for the nation.