The government's local government reorganisation strategy: What went wrong and what comes next?

Photos from this event are available on our Flickr.

Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has put plans to restructure local government on hold. So what went wrong and what happens next?

The government’s ambitious local government reorganisation (LGR) programme, which affects around 41% of the population, aims to replace all county and district councils with a single tier of unitary local government. This would make it the largest LGR wave since 46 unitary authorities (UAs) were established between 1995 and 1997.  

Angela Rayner has now launched a full review of her predecessor’s decisions on future council boundaries, following new legal advice and in the face of a wave of judicial challenges. Rayner said she wanted to be satisfied the right process is in place and to test whether LGR proposals meet the priorities of the new prime minister.

So how did this situation come about? What are the implications for trust between central government and local government? And how do these decisions affect broader ambitions for the government to rewire the state and deliver good growth in every postcode?  

As local leaders and the sector process the government’s decision, the IfG assembled an expert panel to respond to these developments, featuring:  

• Amanda Askham, Partner, Consulting at Grant Thornton UK LLP
• Dr Matthew Fright, Associate Director at the Institute for Government
• Heather Jameson, Editor of The MJ
• Akash Paun, Director at the Institute for Government

This event was chaired by Dr Catherine Haddon, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.

[A previously advertised event considering 'How should central government support local authorities going through LGR?' has been postponed and will be rescheduled in the near future.]

We would like to thank Grant Thornton UK LLP for kindly supporting this event.