Plans to split large councils into smaller unitary authorities could hit vulnerable people with a ‘triple whammy’ of worse services, higher costs, and staff shortages, county leaders warn.

A new County Councils Network (CCN) report by Newton warns that breaking up existing counties into councils serving fewer than 500,000 residents would add up to £270m in annual care costs, require over 1,000 new senior roles, and risk lowering care quality.

Larger councils, the report says, deliver better Ofsted-rated services and have the scale to keep costs down. Smaller authorities, however, could be overwhelmed by demand and struggle to recruit skilled staff.

With only 6% of county council chief executives and directors of adult social care and children’s services confident ministers will fully weigh these risks, the CCN is urging Government to stick to its 500,000-population rule and ensure reforms don’t shatter already fragile care services.

Cllr Matthew Hicks, Chair of the County Councils Network, said that local government reorganisation has the potential to ‘deliver significant benefits’ but also carries ‘significant risks’ if not delivered in the right way.

‘With several areas now submitting competing proposals, the study clearly shows the stark choice facing the government,’ he continued.

‘It provides clear evidence that there are very real risks to care services if county councils are split into multiple small unitary councils. Those that depend on care could face worse services, be met with significant upheaval, and have too few staff to adequately deliver their support. At the same time, councils and local taxpayers could be loaded with substantive extra costs.’

‘Put simply, reorganisation plans could make or break care services unless the government gets these reforms right,’ he added.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'We are removing layers of duplication and waste in local authorities by bringing services under one roof, meaning residents will benefit from improved and more preventative public services.

'Local Government Reorganisation is long overdue and will also save taxpayers’ cash by ending the current "two-tier" system that hinders service development, creates fragmented services and blurred lines of accountability across county and district councils for almost 20 million people in England.'

If you want to learn more about local government reorganisation (LGR), then check out the latest in our 'Need to Know' series: Local Government Reorganisation: What It Means and Why It Matters