10 ways councils are making budgets go further
Discover 10 ways councils are stretching budgets further, from digital transformation and energy efficiency to community partnerships and data-driven decision-making.
Suffolk claims single unitary could lead to reduced council taxes
03/11/2025 Suffolk CC has suggested moving to a single unitary authority as part of the county's local government reorganisation could lead to reduced council taxes. |
Devon councils set out reorganisation proposals
03/11/2025 Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council and Exeter City Council have published proposals for Devon to be divided into four unitary authorities. |
Woking to get £500m bailout as Surrey split in two
28/10/2025 Reorganisation frontrunner Surrey will have its 12 councils replaced by two unitaries, with £500m of Woking BC's debts written off, The MJ understands. |
Nine councils in Derbyshire unite behind two unitaries
27/10/2025 Proposals for two unitaries covering Derbyshire are set to be formally considered by councillors at the eight district and boroughs and Derby City Council. |
Three unitary councils proposed for Staffordshire shake up
27/10/2025 Three southern Staffordshire councils have unveiled a local government reorganisation plan aimed at creating three new unitary authorities. |
Lancashire leaders call for delay to council shake-up
23/10/2025 Lancashire County Council has asked the Government to delay the county’s planned local government reorganisation. |
Two new councils proposed in Cambridgeshire overhaul
23/10/2025 Cambridgeshire County Council has formally approved a major plan to reorganise local government, paving the way for the creation of two unitary authorities. |
Reorganisation plan promises £44m annual savings
21/10/2025 A plan published today sets out how reorganisation across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland could deliver savings of £44m a year by streamlining staffing. |
Devon’s district councils unveil reorganisation plan
21/10/2025 Devon’s district councils have published a new reorganisation blueprint to reshape how local government works across the county. |
Essex CC leaves 'bitter taste' with 'underhand' reorg move
21/10/2025 Relations between Essex local authorities have been soured after the county council spent nearly £37,000 informing residents of its preferred LGR option. |
DCN: Deprivation key determinant for spending
21/10/2025 Unitaries with a population over 350,000 tend to spend more per resident on services but are also more likely to run into financial difficulties, DCN shows |
‘Suck it up’: Leaked video leads to Reform UK suspensions
20/10/2025 Reform UK has suspended four councillors following the leak of a video from a virtual Kent County Council meeting. |
Reorganisation financial risk warning
20/10/2025 Local government reorganisation has been highlighted as a key concern by the Public Accounts Committee. |
Reorganisation and fair funding will 'throw cards up in the air' on budgets
16/10/2025 The impact of reorganisation and the fair funding review will ‘throw all the cards up in the air' for councils trying to hit budget, sector expert has warned. |
Reform council backs county unitary
15/10/2025 Reform-led Warwickshire CC has backed a plan for a county unitary and a bid to join the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). |
Cumbria devolution plan gets final sign off
14/10/2025 Cumbria is set to gain greater powers and funding after councillors in both Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness approved the Government's devolution plan. |
Council leader accuses critics of ‘gerrymandering’
14/10/2025 The leader of Norfolk County Council has accused opponents of proposals for a single county-wide unitary authority of 'wilful gerrymandering of figures'. |
Budget deficit warning over two unitary plan
13/10/2025 One of two unitary authorities proposed for Warwickshire amid local government reorganisation ‘would exist with a budget deficit from day one', report warns. |
Autumn Budget Insights: Can reorganisation and finance move in step?
10/10/2025 The Autumn Budget is a test of whether the Government can align fiscal policy with local government reorganisation (LGR), says Jonathan Carr-West, LGIU. |
Nottingham calls for boundary review under reorganisation plans
10/10/2025 Nottingham CC has confirmed it will submit a proposal to the Government for a boundary review as part of the local government reorganisation (LGR) programme. |
CCN: Social care faces reorganisation ‘triple whammy’
09/10/2025 Plans to split large councils into smaller unitary authorities could hit vulnerable people with worse services, higher costs, and staff shortages, CCN warns. |
EXCLUSIVE: Surrey reorganisation decision delayed
08/10/2025 A final decision on the new unitary structures for Surrey has been delayed, council chiefs have been told. |
New partnership to give councils fresh reorganisation support
06/10/2025 A new partnership between Local Partnerships and the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) will give councils fresh reorganisation support. |
Gosport rejects local government reorganisation plans
06/10/2025 Gosport Borough Council has formally opposed the Government's proposal to reorganise local councils across Hampshire. |
Notts councils clash over reorganisation report
02/10/2025 Two Nottinghamshire local authorities have accused neighbouring councils of ‘prematurely’ publishing a report on local government reorganisation (LGR). |
Portsmouth Council rejects local government reorganisation
29/09/2025 Portsmouth CC has agreed to reject government proposals for local government reorganisation, confirming its intention to remain a standalone authority. |
Keeping local audit on the agenda
24/09/2025 Local audit reforms risk being overshadowed by devolution and reorganisation. Why proper scrutiny is vital to protect accountability and public trust. |
Council launches consultation on new town and parish councils
24/09/2025 Charnwood Borough Council has launched consultations on proposals to establish new town and parish councils. |
West Sussex backs single unitary model
24/09/2025 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
23/09/2025 Services provided by district councils must not become an early casualty of local government reorganisation, a new report has warned. |
Council launches asset transfer programme ahead of LGR
22/09/2025 Reigate & Banstead BC is inviting community groups to take on some of its assets, as part of preparations for local government reorganisation. |
Portsmouth expected to reject reorganisation
18/09/2025 Portsmouth City Council is expected to formally reject local government reorganisation at a meeting next week, telling ministers to leave the authority alone. |
Future Forum Midlands: Councils urged to be transformational under LGR
10/09/2025 Councils facing local government reorganisation (LGR) have been urged to focus on ‘the transformational' to avoid simply creating ‘bureaucratic' change. |
Council considers two-unitary plan for Staffordshire
10/09/2025 A new plan under review at Staffordshire CC could split the county into two unitary authorities as part of the local government reorganisation programme. |
Essex claims three unitary reorganisation would best tackle debt crisis
10/09/2025 Essex CC has claimed its favoured three unitary model of reorganisation would best manage the county's ‘heavily indebted' local government system. |
Councils seek legal advice amid reorganisation confusion
09/09/2025 Councils facing boundary changes as part of local government reorganisation are seeking legal advice to clarify what proposals they can put forward. |
Hampshire plans 'will save £63m'
04/09/2025 Twelve of Hampshire's 15 authorities have backed three different five-unitary reorganisation proposals which they claim would save more than £63m annually. |
Government skipped own cost review of council mergers
29/08/2025 The Government did not conduct its own assessment of the costs of local government reorganisation, the BBC has revealed. |
Reform UK council leader bans local newspaper
29/08/2025 The Reform UK leader of Nottinghamshire County Council has banned a local newspaper from contacting him or his councillors following a row over reporting. |
Devolution Revolution: Solving the Data Deficit
19/08/2025 Jonathan Marwood, Partner at Hartnell Taylor Cook, explains why robust real estate data is essential for devolution, housing delivery, and regeneration. |
Proposals for four unitary authorities in Kent published
14/08/2025 Medway Council has published its local government reorganisation proposal for four unitary authorities covering Kent and Medway. |
Gov reluctant to interfere with successful strategic authority boundaries
14/08/2025 The Government has suggested it will not want to rip up existing strategic authority boundaries where the organisations are ‘working well'. |
Council accused of offering ‘freebies’ in devolution bid
13/08/2025 Oxford City Council has been accused of handing out ‘freebies’ to win support for its local government reorganisation plans. |
EXCLUSIVE: MHCLG tells councils not to use public funds to win unitary argument
12/08/2025 Senior Whitehall mandarins have reminded councils not to use public funds to persuade residents to back their favoured reorganisation proposal. |
What Council Unitarisation Means for Neighbourhood Services
12/08/2025 APSE’s guidance on safeguarding neighbourhood services, aligning working practices, and planning efficiencies during local government reorganisation. |
Suffolk council leaders publish reorganisation proposals
08/08/2025 Suffolk's lower tier councils have published local government reorganisation proposals for three unitary authorities despite claims they are ‘unworkable’. |
Local Government Reorganisation: What It Means and Why It Matters
04/02/2025 Discover what local government reorganisation means, its impact on services, efficiency, and local accountability, and why it matters for England. |
