The Government's decision to pause local government reorganisation (LGR) in 16 areas has thrown plans up and down the country into uncertainty, while allowing Surrey's proposals to proceed.
In this video interview, LocalGov speaks to Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), to unpack what lies behind the pause and what it means for the councils affected.
We discuss the Government's citing of ‘updated and privileged legal advice’ as the trigger for the review, and what kind of legal risk that might point to. Carr-West considers what the withdrawal of decisions means in practice for councils that have already committed significant time and resource to their proposals, and why Surrey may have been treated differently from the 16 paused areas.
The conversation also explores comments from Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner that she wants to test whether reorganisation proposals ‘meet the priorities of a new administration and a new Prime Minister,’ and what that could mean for the substance of the reorganisation model going forward.
Carr-West closes with practical advice for affected councils on managing staff, finances and public confidence during the period of uncertainty.
