Local government unitarisation

What is local government unitarisation?

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.

Unitarisation, also known as ‘local government reorganisation’, 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 has been unitarised?

In England, there are 132 unitary local authorities, covering 71% of the population. These consist of:

• The City of London and the Isles of Scilly, which have unique governance structures and have always been single-tier authorities
• 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 most recent county areas to undergo unitarisation 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. 
There are currently 21 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.

What is the legal process for unitarisation?

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.

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 unitarisation?

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. 

From November 2007 until January 2008, the secretary of state had the power to direct local authorities to submit a proposal for unitarisation when they believed it was in “the interests of effective and convenient local government.” The secretary of state no longer holds this power. However, in the English devolution white paper, the government indicated that it would deliver local government reorganisation “through legislation where it becomes necessary to ensure progress.” ³¹ 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 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 unitarisation?

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”. ³² 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 white paper states that new unitary authorities should have a population of at least 500,000 so that they are large enough to “achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks”. ³³ 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  However, “there may be exceptions to ensure new structures make sense for an area, including for devolution”. ³⁴ 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 minister for local government and English devolution, Jim McMahon, wrote to the leaders of all two-tier councils and neighbouring unitary authorities on 16 December 2024 to set out the process for local government reorganisation. ³⁵ McMahon J, Letter to leaders of all two-tier councils and neighbouring unitary authorities, 16 December 2024, retrieved 10 January 2024, https://cmis.essex.gov.uk/essexcmis5/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=Nk95jK3Wt0MvdRoPcizXNiRsb%2fGtq5YiAfBmGcnm%2fBk6BijoSsVHUA%3d%3d&…  In this letter, McMahon explained he would outline his decision-making criteria at a later date.

What arguments are made in favour of unitarisation?

The government argues that by bringing together council services into one organisation, unitarisation can deliver efficiency savings and create opportunities for improving public services. ³⁶ 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” ³⁷ 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 mayoral combined authorities, by reducing the number of tiers of government, and making it simpler for the government to transfer functions to local leaders. ³⁸ 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 unitarisation?

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 Surrey and Kent, 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. ³⁹ 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, ⁴⁰ 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.