Box 01: Overview of local government reorganisation
Currently, local government across England is made up of a combination of unitary authorities and two-tier local government. In the two-tier system, responsibility for service delivery is split, with county councils responsible for functions such as education and social care, and district councils providing services such as waste collection. In December 2024, the government published the English Devolution White Paper, in which it set out its plans for LGR. It has invited all two-tier areas and some unitary councils to submit proposals as part of this. The government plans to complete reorganisation through a phased delivery programme during this parliament. LGR is being carried out alongside wider reforms to children’s services, SEND, the Casey Review of adult social care, and an overhaul of the local government finance system through the fair funding review. Alongside LGR, new devolution arrangements through Strategic Authorities are also being developed, aiming to drive economic growth. In February 2025, the government issued a statutory invitation to the 21 two-tier areas asking them to provide a proposal for LGR in their area: The authorities must be able to achieve efficiencies, improve service capacity, and withstand financial shocks. As a guiding principle, councils have been informed the population size should be 500,000 or more within each unitary authority. However, the government has since stated this is not a hard target, and councils should set out clearly their rationale if the proposed unitary councils are above or below this figure. 5
Unitary authorities must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to its residents, considering the impact on crucial services such as adults’ and children’s social care and SEND. Proposals should show how new structures will improve local government and service delivery Unitary authorities must demonstrate how they have worked together to come to a proposal, ensuring it meets the needs of their residents and is informed by their views. Unitary authorities must be prepared to facilitate devolution in their areas. and should avoid unnecessary fragmentation of these services. Unitary authorities should enable stronger engagement with their communities. This includes detailed plans for neighbourhood empowerment through formal neighbourhood partnerships or area committees. As of June 2025, the government has provided feedback on these interim plans, asking councils to build on their initial work to create final proposals which both meet the criteria and are backed by evidence and data. Councils in Surrey submitted final proposals in May, while councils in six Devolution Priority Programme areas submitted proposals in late September. All remaining areas are expected to finalise proposals by the end of November. 6
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