What is local government reorganisation?

What is local government reorganisation?

In two-tier areas, local government functions are shared between an upper-tier county council and a number of constituent lower-tier district councils, which are located within the administrative boundaries of the county council. For instance, the county area of Derbyshire is governed by Derbyshire County Council and eight district councils.

County councils are responsible for functions such as transport, social care and education. District councils are responsible for matters including housing, planning and waste collection. Unitary authorities are responsible for all these functions.

LGR is the replacement of two-tier with unitary local government. This process does not affect parish councils and town councils, the lowest tier of government in England, which provide public facilities such as village halls and playgrounds in some parts of England. It is also distinct from the formation of ‘combined authorities’ that bring together a number of councils across a larger regional scale.

How much of the UK already has unitary local government?

In England, there are 132 unitary local authorities, covering 65% of the population. These consist of:

• 32 London boroughs, which became unitary authorities in 1986 following the abolition of the Greater London Council
• 36 metropolitan districts, which became unitary authorities in 1986 following the abolition of metropolitan county councils in Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, West Midlands and Tyne and Wear
• 62 other unitary authorities, established through three distinct waves of local government reform spanning 1995–98, 2007–09, and 2019–present.
• The City of London and the Isles of Scilly, which have unique governance structures and have always been single-tier authorities. 

The most recent county areas to undergo local government reorganisation are North Yorkshire, Somerset and Cumbria in 2023. North Yorkshire and Somerset were both reorganised into single unitary authorities, while Cumbria was split into two unitary authorities. In April 2027, Surrey County Council will be replaced by two unitary authorities: East Surrey and West Surrey.

Including Surrey, there are 21 remaining county councils in England, sub-divided into 164 district councils.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have unitary local government across their entire territories. The parliament of Northern Ireland created a single-tier pattern of local government in 1972. Local government in Scotland and Wales was reorganised into a unitary structure in 1996. 71% of the UK population receive services from unitary authorities.

What is the legal process for local government reorganisation?

Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, the secretary of state can invite a principal authority in a two-tier area of England (either a county council or a district council) to submit a proposal to form a single tier of local government. This could involve the reorganisation of a county council, a district council or a group of district councils into one or more unitary authorities.

To expedite the government’s current programme of local government reorganisation, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill reintroduces a power of direction to allow the secretary of state to require a council to develop and submit proposals for local government reorganisation.

Before implementing a proposal, the secretary of state must consult with every local authority affected by the proposal (except for the authority that made it), and any other person they consider appropriate. 

The secretary of state can also choose to refer a proposal to the Local Government Commission for England (LGCE). The LGCE is an independent body which is accountable to parliament through the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission. The secretary of state can choose to implement the proposal (with or without modifications), implement alternative proposals made by the LGCE, or take no action.

If the secretary of state decides to make an order for local government reorganisation, it must be approved by a vote by both houses of parliament to take effect.

Do local authorities have to give consent to reorganisation?

Not necessarily, although the application-based approach to unitarisation and restructuring set out in the 2007 Act means that the process tends to be initiated at a local level, by one or more councils submitting a proposal to the secretary of state. 

As noted, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill reintroduces the power for the secretary of state to direct local authorities to submit a proposal for local government reorganisation. This power was previously held from November 2007 until January 2008, when the secretary of state could direct local authorities to submit a proposal for unitarisation when they believed it was in “the interests of effective and convenient local government.” 

The 2007 Act does not require all relevant local authorities to give consent to a process of restructuring. Several local authorities have held referendums on unitarisation proposals in the past. However, they are not required to do so and the result is not binding on the local authority or the UK government.

What is the government’s current approach to local government reorganisation?

In the English devolution white paper, the government set out plans for local government reorganisation in “all two tier areas and smaller or failing unitaries”. ⁶¹ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, English Devolution White Paper: Power and partnership: Foundations for growth, CP 1218, The Stationery Office, 16 December 2024, retrieved 14 January 2025, www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-devolution-white-paper-power-and-partnership-foundations-for-growth  

The secretary of state formally invited proposals for reorganisation from all councils in the 21 two-tier areas and 19 “small neighbouring unitary authorities” ⁶² McMahon J, ‘English devolution and local government: statement made on 5 February 2025: statement UIN HCWS418’, UK Parliament, 5 February 2025, retrieved 18 February 2025, https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-02-05/hcws418  in February 2025. Interim plans are due to be submitted to the government by 21 March 2025, with full proposals expected later in the year. ⁶³ McMahon J, ‘Letter: West Sussex’, MHCLG, 5 February 2025, retrieved 13 February 2025, www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-invitation-to-local-authorities-in-two-tier-areas/letter-west-sussex  The government “will take a phased approach” ⁶⁴ McMahon J, ‘Local government reorganisation: letter to two-tier areas’, MHCLG, 16 December 2024, retrieved 16 January 2024, www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-letter-to-two-tier-areas  to implementation, with the first new unitaries planned for 2027 and 2028.

The government has set out clear criteria which local authorities will need to evidence in their reorganisation proposals. This included a guiding principle that new councils should aim to have a population of at least 500,000, although there may be some exceptions where this “does not make sense for an area” ⁶⁵ McMahon J, ‘Letter: West Sussex’, MHCLG, 5 February 2025, retrieved 13 February 2025, www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-invitation-to-local-authorities-in-two-tier-areas/letter-west-sussex .  

As mergers of unitary authorities follow a different legal process, other unitaries were not formally invited to submit proposals. However, the government stated it was “open to discussions with all areas where structural change will help them get onto a more sustainable footing”. ⁶⁶ McMahon J, ‘English devolution and local government: statement made on 5 February: statement UIN HCWS418’, UK Parliament, 5 February 2025, retrieved 18 February 2025, https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-02-05/hcws418

Interim plans were submitted to the government by 21 March 2025. Full proposals for Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) areas were submitted in September 2025 and all other areas submitted their final proposals in November 2025. ⁶⁷ McMahon J, ‘Letter: West Sussex’, MHCLG, 5 February 2025, retrieved 13 February 2025, www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-invitation-to-local-authorities-in-two-tier-areas/letter-west-sussex  17 competing proposals were received from DPP areas ⁶⁸ Sandford M, ‘Local government reorganisation 2026’, House of Commons Library, research briefing, 12 February 2026, https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10494/  and a further 53 proposals were submitted across these other areas. ⁶⁹ Weakley K, Calkin S, Webb C, ‘Exclusive: Over 50 LGR proposals sent to MHCLG’, Local Government Chronicle, 3 December 2026, retrieved 12 February 2026, https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/devolution-and-economic-growth/exclusive-over-50-lgr-proposals-sent-to-mhclg-03-12-2025/  TThe government has undertaken public consultations on the proposals which closed in January 2026 for DPP areas and March 2026 for non-DPP areas.

In March 2026, ministers announced their decision on the footprints of new unitary authorities for three DPP areas: Greater Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Hampshire and the Solent. The government has not yet announced the footprints for Sussex and Brighton “due to concerns regarding all four of the proposals” and has instead proposed a modified option for consultation. ⁷⁰ Reed S, ‘Local government reorganisation: statement made on 25 March 2026’, written statement, 25 March 2026, retrieved 1 April 2026, https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-03-25/hcws1455  The new unitary authorities in all areas  are expected to hold elections in May 2027 and go live in April 2028.

Surrey is undergoing a faster LGR process, with its final proposals submitted in May 2025 and the government confirming in October 2025 that the county’s existing 12 councils will be reorganised into two unitary authorities: East Surrey and West Surrey. The two new unitaries are holding elections in May 2026 and will go live in April 2027.

Why have elections been delayed in some areas undergoing local government reorganisation?

Some local elections have been delayed in areas undergoing local government reorganisation. In February 2025, the government postponed the May 2025 local elections in nine areas on the DPP until May 2026 so that these areas could “deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe”. ⁷¹ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Devolution revolution: six areas to elect Mayors for first time’, press release, 5 February 2025, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/devolution-revolution-six-areas-to-elect-mayors-for-first-time  

The government subsequently pushed back the inaugural mayoral elections scheduled for May 2026 in the six DPP areas. Elections in Cheshire and Cumbria have been delayed until 2027 to coincide with local elections in these areas, while elections in Essex, Hampshire, Sussex, and Norfolk and Suffolk have been delayed until 2028 so that areas could complete ”the local government reorganisation process before Mayors take office”. ⁷² Reed S, ’Written statement: Devolution Priority Programme’, 4 December 2025, https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-12-04/hcws1128

On 18 December 2025, the government invited all 63 areas on its local government reorganisation programme to request the cancellation of their May 2026 local elections. ⁷³ McGovern A, ’Letter to leader of councils with elections in May 2026 where proposals for reorganisation have been submitted and decisions not yet taken’, 18 December 2025, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6944196136f089d38be1f31a/lgr-letter-councils-elections-may-2026.pdf  This included the nine areas where the government had already delayed elections in 2025. ⁷⁴ McMahon J, ‘Statement: English Devolution and Local Government’, Written Statements, UK Parliament, 5 February 2025, https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-02-05/hcws418  In January 2026, ministers announced that elections would be delayed in 30 of these areas, but this decision was reversed in February 2026, following legal advice. ⁷⁵ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Leaders of councils with elections in May 2026 where proposals have been submitted for Local Government Reorganisation’, 16 February 2026, retrieved 16 February 2026, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/699328da7da91680ad7f44a9/update_on_secretary_of_state_s_decision_regarding_local_elections_of_may_2026

What arguments are made in favour of local government reorganisation?

The government argues that by bringing together council services into one organisation, LGR can deliver efficiency savings and create opportunities for improving public services. ⁷⁶ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, English Devolution White Paper: Power and partnership: Foundations for growth, CP 1218, The Stationery Office, 16 December 2024, retrieved 14 January 2025, www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-devolution-white-paper-power-and-partnership-foundations-for-growth, p. 100   

The government also makes the case that unitary local government can enhance accountability by making it easier for residents to understand who is responsible for which public services and local decisions. 

Further, the government states that reorganisation can “help ease workforce pressures and local competition for staff” ⁷⁷ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, English Devolution White Paper: Power and partnership: Foundations for growth, CP 1218, The Stationery Office, 16 December 2024, retrieved 14 January 2025, www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-devolution-white-paper-power-and-partnership-foundations-for-growth, p. 102  by reducing the number of local institutions, as well as cutting costs associated with elections and councillors.

Unitarisation may also smooth the process of devolution to strategic authorities, by reducing the number of tiers of government, and making it simpler for the government to transfer functions to local leaders. ⁷⁸ Fright M and Paun A, Completing the map: How the government can extend devolution to the whole of England, Institute for Government, 2024, www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-09/Completing-the-map-english-devolution.pdf  

What arguments are made against local government reorganisation?

Unitarisation creates larger units of local administration, which are more remote from local communities and may therefore make local government less responsive to local concerns. Large county areas, such as Kent and Essex, with populations of over 1m people, might have to be split into several unitary authorities. This would therefore involve the abolition of traditional counties, with which many voters identify.

Local government reorganisation can also be disruptive in the short term, even if over the longer term it carries the potential for cost savings. ⁷⁹ Sandford M, Unitary local government, House of Commons Library, 12 June 2024, https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9056/CBP-9056.pdf, p.40  It may also delay the implementation of devolution, ⁸⁰ Kenyon M, ‘Cumbria: “We’re going through a profound change, whether we like it or not”’, LGC, 3 March 2023, retrieved 15 January 2025, www.lgcplus.com/politics/devolution-and-economic-growth/cumbria-reorganisation-were-going-through-a-profound-change-whether-we-like-it-or-not-03-03-2…  even if ultimately it simplifies the subnational governance landscape as noted above.