Plans to abolish two-tier local government in 14 areas of England were announced on Thursday, with district and county councils replaced by single unitary authorities – a reorganisation the government says will create “strong” councils that match local economies and drive house-building.
The reforms, unveiled by Steve Reed, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, are designed to pave the way for more powers to be handed from Westminster and Whitehall to regions across the country, a key plank of incoming prime minister Andy Burnham’s plans. Under the changes, 134 councils will be reorganised into 38 unitary authorities. Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and Northeast Lincolnshire are among the areas affected. Plans for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and West Sussex, have been delayed, with the government saying it needs more time to make the right decisions. Derbyshire will be split to create two new councils, while Warwickshire’s two-council plan has been given the go-ahead.
“Plans to abolish district and county councils in 14 English areas announced, with 134 councils merging into 38 unitary authorities.”
Reed said replacing the current “inefficient” system would deliver savings by reducing “wasteful” duplication and improving public services. “Some of our smaller cities are highly productive, but have been constrained by tight boundaries, set decades ago, which stop them from building the homes they need,” he said. “Others are more rural, with significant demand for social care services and affordable housing. Local government should be set up to address the unique circumstances of each area and design public services tailored to each community.”
But the government is facing legal challenges over previously announced proposals to reorganise councils in Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Critics have accused the government of creating a “mess” that will split local communities and ignore rural areas. James Cleverly, the shadow secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, described the changes as “top-down” and “purely partisan”. “Steve Reed is once again fiddling with democracy,” Cleverly said. “His legacy will be one of taking power away from local communities, imposing an unfair funding review on councils, and gerrymandering local government for party political advantage.”
The Liberal Democrats said the proposals had created “chaos” and “uncertainty”, leaving many communities “a…” – the party’s response was cut off in the announcement.
With legal challenges mounting and political opposition hardening, the question now is whether the government’s ambition to streamline local government can survive the pushback from communities and councils that fear being sidelined.
