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Three boroughs share chief 'in preparation for LGR'
6/1/2026 Three councils hoping to form a unitary authority under local government reorganisation have agreed to share a chief executive and monitoring officer. |
New Forest boundary challenge has no ‘chance of success'
5/29/2026 New Forest DC has been advised that a legal challenge to the Government's controversial boundary changes in Hampshire would have no real chance of success. |
LocalGov Round Up: Pay, Pride in Place and LGR
3/27/2026 This week councils faced pay decisions, sweeping reorganisation plans, fresh regeneration funding and tensions over the future shape of local government. |
Reform to offer Havering chance to join Essex
2/18/2026 A Reform MP has claimed the party would offer Havering a referendum on leaving London to join Essex if it formed the next government. |
Local Government Reorganisation: Choose to transform, not just merge
11/27/2025 As England’s shift to unitary authorities accelerates, councils face a rare chance to rethink how they work, says Eman Al-Hillawi, CEO at Entec Si. |
Devolution needs ‘long-term plan’, report says
11/27/2025 England risks drifting into a fragmented local governance system unless ministers set out a clear long-term plan for devolution, new report argues. |
Government urged to stop reorganisation or face 'massive car crash'
11/18/2025 Government should be told to stop Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) or face a ‘massive car crash' a county leader facing unitarisation has warned. |
Multi-million-pound redundancy bill in shake-up of Worcestershire councils
11/4/2025 The business case for creating a single unitary authority in Worcestershire estimates that up to £24.2 could be required for redundancy payments. |
Devon councils set out reorganisation proposals
11/3/2025 Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council and Exeter City Council have published proposals for Devon to be divided into four unitary authorities. |
CCN: Social care faces reorganisation ‘triple whammy’
10/9/2025 Plans to split large councils into smaller unitary authorities could hit vulnerable people with worse services, higher costs, and staff shortages, CCN warns. |
Devon CC unitary plans to prevent ‘disastrous’ service issues
9/26/2025 Devon County Council has announced proposals to create a new unitary authority as part of its reorganisation plans. |
Norwich backs three-council model to boost ‘local prosperity’
9/25/2025 Norwich City Council has backed proposals for three unitary councils in Norfolk. |
West Sussex backs single unitary model
9/24/2025 West Sussex County Council has chosen a single unitary authority covering the entire county as its preferred model for local government reorganisation (LGR). |
Reorganisation threat to district services
9/23/2025 Services provided by district councils must not become an early casualty of local government reorganisation, a new report has warned. |
Portsmouth expected to reject reorganisation
9/18/2025 Portsmouth City Council is expected to formally reject local government reorganisation at a meeting next week, telling ministers to leave the authority alone. |
New unitary authorities could push up council tax, DCN warns
9/15/2025 Residents in new unitary authorities could pay increased council tax, the District Councils’ Network (DCN) has cautioned. |
CCN announces new unitary council member
9/11/2025 The County Councils Network (CCN) has welcomed North Lincolnshire Council as its newest unitary council member. |
Government skipped own cost review of council mergers
8/29/2025 The Government did not conduct its own assessment of the costs of local government reorganisation, the BBC has revealed. |
Proposals for four unitary authorities in Kent published
8/14/2025 Medway Council has published its local government reorganisation proposal for four unitary authorities covering Kent and Medway. |
EXCLUSIVE: MHCLG tells councils not to use public funds to win unitary argument
8/12/2025 Senior Whitehall mandarins have reminded councils not to use public funds to persuade residents to back their favoured reorganisation proposal. |
Boston backs two unitary plan
8/5/2025 A third Lincolnshire council has called for the county to be split into two unitaries under reorganisation – one representing the north and another the south. |
Reform council asks officers to look at single Kent unitary
7/30/2025 Kent CC's Reform UK leader has asked officers to draw up a detailed options appraisal for a single unitary with three divisions. |
Cambridge CC votes in favour of unitary council
7/29/2025 Cambridge City Council has approved proposals for a unitary council with majority support from councillors. |
Councils back three mainland unitaries
7/21/2025 Hampshire CC and East Hampshire DC have backed three unitary mainland councils, with the Isle of Wight remaining as a standalone authority. |
EXCLUSIVE: Crawley ponders legal response to unitary dismissal
7/17/2025 Crawley BC is considering its next steps, including a potential judicial review, after local government minister Jim McMahon dismissed its proposal for a cross-county unitary. |
District council backs two-authority plan
7/17/2025 Stratford-on-Avon District Council has adopted the two unitary authority model as its preferred option for local government reorganisation. |
Fiscal devolution could raise £8.9bn a year
7/16/2025 Fiscal devolution would enable local authorities to raise £8.9bn a year for local services, a report commissioned by the County Councils Network has found. |
Crawley pauses on West Sussex reorganisation
6/11/2025 West Sussex’s Crawley BC will wait for ministers to decide on Surrey’s reorganisation proposals before giving any views on unitarisation in its own county, The MJ understands. |
Leader's doubts over Kent reorganisation
5/28/2025 Kent CC's Reform UK leader has thrown the region's reorganisation proposals into doubt following her opening speech to the council. |
Surrey reorganisation plan based on ‘flawed data’, opponents claim
5/14/2025 A plan for two new unitary authorities in Surrey is based on ‘inconsistent, incomplete and flawed data’, opposition councillors say. |
Reform gains in English local elections
5/2/2025 Labour has held onto key mayoralties even though it looks like Nigel Farage's Reform UK will make significant gains in local elections across England. |
Surrey to remain divided on unitary plans
4/16/2025 Surrey's borough and district councils have revealed the region is set to defy government requests for unity on final reorganisation proposals. |
East Sussex unitary 'probably most likely option'
4/2/2025 A single tier East Sussex unitary of around 550,000 people is 'probably the most likely' reorganisation option, The MJ understands. |
Future Forum: Unitary workers 'grieving' loss of districts
3/20/2025 North Northamptonshire Council chief executive Adele Wylie has urged those involved in reorganisation to act with ‘kindness' and avoid rancour. |
Warwickshire councils signal preference for two unitaries
3/19/2025 There is a ‘clear preference’ for a north and south unitary option among district and borough councils in Warwickshire, says district council leader. |
Suffolk councils oppose unitary plans
3/12/2025 Suffolk’s district and borough council leaders have joined forces to oppose plans published by Suffolk County Council for a single unitary authority. |
Derbyshire councils agree plans for two unitary authorities
3/10/2025 Local authorities in Derbyshire have agreed on a draft plan to create two unitary councils covering the north and south of the county. |
Districts back being swallowed by unitary
2/25/2025 The leaders of Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire DCs have backed the enlargement of unitary West Berkshire Council to include their areas. |
Six areas chosen for devolution fast track
2/5/2025 Six new areas have been chosen to join the Government’s devolution priority programme. |
Local Government Reorganisation: What It Means and Why It Matters
2/4/2025 Discover what local government reorganisation means, its impact on services, efficiency, and local accountability, and why it matters for England. |
Government has no evidence to support ‘mega councils’, DCN says
1/31/2025 Freedom of Information requests have exposed an ‘alarming’ lack of evidence to support the creation of mega councils, according to the District Councils’ Network (DCN). |
New unitary seeks exceptional financial support
1/30/2025 A unitary council that is less than two years old is seeking exceptional financial support from Government. |
Norwich councillors back unitary bid
1/22/2025 Norwich City Council members have voted in favour of pursuing unitary status as part of the Government’s efforts to reorganise local government. |
Herts reorganisation threatens representation, leaders warn
12/24/2024 A single unitary council for Hertfordshire ‘risks diminishing local representation’, local leaders warn. |
EXCLUSIVE: Government to launch full reorganisation
10/28/2024 Plans for full local government reorganisation could be mooted as soon as this week's Budget, The MJ understands. |
The challenges of local government reorganisation
9/16/2024 Guy Clifton, director, Local Government Value for Money, Grant Thornton UK LLP looks at reorganisation lessons from recently established unitary councils. |
Councils agree on how to split Northamptonshire's final balance
8/13/2024 The two local authorities formed after the demise of Northamptonshire CC have agreed on how to split their predecessor's £40m balance sheet. |
Councils ‘too slow’ at resolving £40m dispute
6/12/2024 Two Northamptonshire councils have been 'too slow' to resolve a dispute over £40m of debt, an auditor has warned. |
North Yorkshire aims to build 500 council homes
5/20/2024 North Yorkshire Council has published its first housing strategy, which includes an ambition to build 500 council homes over five years. |
North Yorkshire consults on new town councils
5/14/2024 Residents of Harrogate and Scarborough are being consulted on plans to create town councils for both areas. |
Five unitaries moot devolution deal
12/18/2023 A ‘non-binding expression of interest’ is expected to be submitted to the Government in February. |
Sector unites in plea to chancellor
11/22/2023 The local government sector in England has put out a call to Jeremy Hunt to ‘address the significant financial challenges faced by councils’. |
Somerset declares ‘financial emergency’
11/9/2023 Somerset Council has declared it is facing a ‘financial emergency’ and agreed that ‘urgent actions’ are required to tackle a £100m shortfall. |
Peterborough leader loses confidence vote
11/2/2023 Peterborough City Council has new political leadership after councillors voted to remove Conservative leader Wayne Fitzgerald. |
Confidence vote risks ‘further government intervention’
10/27/2023 The leader of Peterborough City Council has said a confidence motion in him will result in ‘major political instability’ and risks further intervention from the Government. |
Prioritise social housing, Whitby tells North Yorkshire
9/7/2023 Whitby Town Council is calling on the unitary authority of North Yorkshire to favour social housing developments over private building projects within Whitby’s parish boundaries. |
Somerset in section 114 warning
8/31/2023 Somerset Council is the latest authority to raise the prospect of a possible section 114 notice. |
New unitary councils set to launch
3/29/2023 New unitary councils being launched this weekend are planning to improve and develop services for their communities. |
Lincolnshire districts back unitary idea
3/28/2023 A partnership of three district councils has backed the idea of becoming a unitary to help secure a Lincolnshire-wide devolution deal. |
Plans for new unitary council in Cumbria confirmed
6/16/2022 The executive for the shadow authority for Cumberland Council have confirmed the implementation plan for the new local authority. |
North Yorkshire councils’ spending limited ahead of new unitary authority
5/24/2022 Michael Gove has issued a direction which restricts North Yorkshire councils from taking any big financial decisions before creation of the unitary authority. |
Council devolution: how technology can enable a successful and seamless transition
5/5/2022 Scott Goodwin explains how technology holds the key to unlocking a successful and seamless transition to a unitary model. |
Cumbria drops legal challenge to reorganisation
2/28/2022 Cumbria CC has decided to drop its legal challenge after losing its second High Court bid for a judicial review of local government reorganisation. |
Cumbria council loses second bid to stop reorganisation
2/23/2022 Cumbria CC is ‘considering its next steps’ after losing its second High Court bid for a judicial review of the decision to create two unitary authorities. |
Cumbria continues legal battle against reorganisation
1/26/2022 The county council is opposed to the Government’s decision to replace the county council and six district councils with two unitaries. |
Jenrick announces unitary deals
7/22/2021 North Yorkshire and Somerset County Councils have been given the go ahead to become single unitary councils, while Cumbria will be carved in two. |
Controversial Somerset poll backs district plan
6/7/2021 A controversial poll on reorganisation in Somerset has come out in favour of a district-based proposal. |
Three councils back Bay unitary proposal
6/3/2021 The newly elected leaders of three neighbouring councils have backed proposals for a new Bay unitary authority. |
County rejects Bay Unitary proposal
4/13/2021 Lancashire County Council has rejected proposals to create a new Bay Unitary Council. |
County council chiefs welcome new Northamptonshire authorities
4/1/2021 County council leaders have welcomed two new unitary authorities which officially came into existence today in Northamptonshire. |
Consultation starts on restructuring local government in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset
2/23/2021 A consultation on creating unitary authorities in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset has been announced today by the Government. |
Basildon and Thurrock consider merger
2/11/2021 Council leaders are drawing up a memorandum of understanding including the option of forming a South West Essex Council. |
The Bay – a pivot to purpose
1/26/2021 Tim Pope and Sam Plum explain why local government reorganisation can be used as a catalyst for a new generation of councils that reflect their local economies and can lead the recovery. |
Reorganisation battle lines drawn over think-tank report
10/20/2020 The bitter war of words between counties and districts over reorganisation stepped up this week as battle lines were drawn around a new think-tank report. |
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Three areas invited to submit unitary proposals
10/9/2020 The Government has today invited councils in three areas to submit proposals for the creation of unitary local authorities by April 2023. |
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Somerset councils vote to establish two unitary authorities
9/16/2020 District councils in Somerset have voted for a transformation plan that will see them replaced by two unitary authorities. |
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Countywide unitaries ‘could save £3bn’
8/27/2020 Replacing two-tier counties with one unitary authority could deliver almost £3bn savings over five years, according to research published by the County Councils Network (CCN) today. |
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Three districts table Gloucestershire devolution proposals
8/27/2020 Three of Gloucestershire’s district councils have proposed creating two unitary authorities in the county. |
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Call to scrap two-tier local government system in rural areas
8/4/2020 The ‘confusing' two-tier model of local government should be abolished and replaced with single unitary councils, a report has argued today. |
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Ministers to receive Somerset unitary business case
7/31/2020 A business case for a single Somerset unitary has been sent to communities secretary Robert Jenrick and local government minister Simon Clarke. |
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Reorganisation will deter potential councillors, report warns
7/24/2020 Local government unitary reorganisation will slash the number of councillors and deter many from standing for election, a report for the District Councils’ Network (DCN) has warned. |
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Race for reorganisation gathers pace in Surrey and Somerset
7/10/2020 The race towards reorganisation is gaining pace more plans emerging in Somerset and Surrey. |
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Hand health powers to elected mayors, says report
6/23/2020 Health powers should be handed to elected mayors as part of a ‘rejuvenated and fortified wave of devolution,’ a think-tank report has suggested. |
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Launch of new Buckinghamshire Council
4/2/2020 The new unitary authority for Buckinghamshire has been launched, bringing together five district and county councils. |
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Reorganisation fears overshadow devolution talks
3/10/2020 Concerns over local government reorganisation are marring devolution talks in the north-west. |
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Lessons for digital change from the new unitaries
2/6/2020 Some nine months on from the creation of two new unitary councils in Dorset, what have been the lessons learned from establishing a new organisation and implementing change programmes, especially digital change? Chief executives from councils in the South West discussed the issue at a recent round table debate in the New Forest hosted by The MJ and BT. |
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Borough seeking unitary status sparks spending row
2/3/2020 A row over council spending has broken out between a county council and a borough authority that is seeking unitary status. |
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Northamptonshire unitaries to save £86m
1/9/2020 Local government reorganisation in Northamptonshire will cost just over £40m, according to the early official estimates. |
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Reorganisation in Somerset would 'cut waste and save money'
1/8/2020 A single, unitary authority for Somerset would deliver a predicted saving of £35-£47m, according to new research. |
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Minister confirms creation of Northamptonshire unitary authorities
9/23/2019 The Government has confirmed that the legislation allowing for the creation of two unitary authorities in Northamptonshire will be in Parliament this autumn. |
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Buckinghamshire unitary authority deal concluded
5/24/2019 The Government has passed the final piece of legislation required for the formation of a new unitary authority in Buckinghamshire. |
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Unitary council to adopt committee system of governance
5/24/2019 Cheshire East Council is set to scrap its current system of decision making and adopt a committee system from 2020. |
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Delay to Northamptonshire reorganisation welcomed
5/14/2019 Council leaders have welcomed the year-long delay to plans to create two new unitaries in Northamptonshire. |
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From jurassic to digital – the evolution of services
5/13/2019 As the new Dorset unitaries get underway, the sea-change in structure is matched by the new wave of digital technology. Against this backdrop, a group of top council chiefs met at a BT/The MJ round table to look to the future. |
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Dorset’s achievement in a world transformed
2/7/2019 Andrew Flockhart shows how officers and members throughout Dorset worked together – despite a host of challenges – to be ready for the transformation on 1 April from nine councils to two unitary authorities. |
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Third district joins legal action against Bucks unitary plan
1/28/2019 A third council has announced it will be taking legal action against the proposed new unitary council for Buckinghamshire. |
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Buckinghamshire districts threaten legal action over unitary plan
1/21/2019 Two Buckinghamshire districts have written to the Government warning they could launch legal proceedings over plans to create a single county unitary. |
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What will 2019 bring for local government?
12/24/2018 Turbulent waters lie ahead in 2019, says Mark Whitehead, and councils will need to watch events carefully |
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2018 - the year things began to change
12/21/2018 Geed up by a spirit of entrepreneurialism, councils up and down the land were busy exploring new ways to respond to their communities in 2018. |
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Nottinghamshire CC abandons reorganisation plan
12/12/2018 Nottinghamshire County Council has decided to drop its reorganisation plans, which the leadership had hoped would save the authority millions each year. |
