Issue - meetings

Local Government Reorganisation Proposal

Purpose

To note the two proposals for local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire that have been developed collaboratively with all seven Gloucestershire councils for consideration by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 17 November 2025, Council on 26 November 2025 and Cabinet on 26 November 2025.

The options are:

a) creating a single unitary authority for the whole county and

b) creating two unitary authorities, based on an East / West division of existing district and city councils. The proposal for East Gloucestershire Council comprises Tewksbury Borough Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and Cotswold District Council and the associated proportion of Gloucestershire County Council. The proposal for West Gloucestershire Council comprises Gloucester City Council, Forest of Dean District Council and Stroud District Council and the associated proportion of Gloucestershire County Council.

Following this engagement with the Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Council, Cabinet will decide which, if any proposal should be formally submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in response to his invitation dated 5 February 2025.

Recommendations(s):

Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Council having considered the above two proposals for local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire and made any recommendations they wish to Cabinet for their decision.

1. That Cabinet considers which, if any, of the proposals it wishes to submit to Government regarding the future of local government in Gloucestershire

2. That Cabinet resolves to treat the decision as urgent under Part D6, paragraph 4.14 of the Constitution, and therefore disapplies the call-in procedure, on the grounds that any delay likely to be caused by the call-in process would prejudice the Council’s and the public’s interests.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Mike Evemy, Leader of the Council introduced the item which was the consideration of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) submission.

It was noted that all Members had been present at Full Council, where the options for Local Government Reorganisation had been debated at length. Council had unanimously resolved in favour of requesting that Cabinet propose a single unitary authority for Gloucestershire, the only unanimous decision among the Gloucestershire councils, with the remaining councils reaching majority decisions.

The Leader thanked Cabinet colleagues and Council Members for their decision. It was noted that Council had requested that Cabinet propose the single unitary option in response to the Minister’s invitation of 5 February 2025, and had further asked the Leader to send an accompanying letter setting out the reasons for the decision, based on the Full Council debate and Cabinet’s discussion. Council had also requested that Cabinet and officers continue to prepare for LGR ahead of the expected government decision in June or July 2026.

Cabinet was required to determine its proposal. The Leader stated that, on balance, the single unitary option appeared to be in the best interests of the District and its residents. Reference was made to the Full Council debate, which had emphasised the resilience of services, the vulnerability of users of SEND and adult social care, the importance of financial sustainability, and the £10m difference in ongoing savings between the available options. Concerns had also been expressed regarding the long-term viability of a two-unitary split.

It was noted that Cabinet decisions were usually subject to a five-day call-in period by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee; however, Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had agreed to support call-in being disapplied in this case.

Members were invited to comment. Councillor Coleman commended the careful, evidence-based approach taken throughout the process. Councillor Hodgkinson endorsed these remarks and expressed his support for the single unitary option, citing the Fire Service as a strong example of unified service delivery.

Councillor Evemy concluded by noting that significant work lay ahead, with increasing Member involvement required. He reported that four councils in the county supported the single unitary option, one supported the Greater Gloucester option, one supported the East/West split and one had expressed no preference. These three options would therefore go forward for consideration, after which the government would determine viability. Should the Greater Gloucester option be deemed viable, it would be considered; however, it was considered more likely that the single unitary and east/west options would proceed to consultation, with a decision expected from government in June or July 2026.

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Mike Evemy and seconded by Councillor Paul Hodgkinson.

Vote:

6 For, 0 against, 0 Abstentions.

Meeting: 26/11/2025 - Council (Item 58)

Webcast for 26/11/2025 - Council

58 Local Government Reorganisation Proposal - Full Proposal for Local Government reorganisation (LGR) in Gloucestershire PDF 591 KB

Purpose:

The options are:

a) creating a single unitary authority for the whole county and

Following engagement with the Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Council, Cabinet will decide which, if any proposal should be formally submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in response to his invitation dated 5 February 2025.

Recommendation:

1. That the Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Council consider the following two proposals for local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire and make any recommendations they wish to Cabinet for their decision.

2. That Cabinet considers which, if any, of the proposals it wishes to submit to Government regarding the future of local government in Gloucestershire

3. That Cabinet resolves to treat the decision as urgent under Part D6, paragraph 4.14 of the Constitution, and therefore disapplies the call-in procedure, on the grounds that any delay likely to be caused by the call-in process would prejudice the Council’s and the public’s interests.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of this report was to note the two proposals for local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire that had been developed collaboratively with all seven Gloucestershire councils for consideration by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 17 November 2025, Council on 26 November 2025 and Cabinet on 26 November 2025.

The options proposed were:

a) creating a single unitary authority for the whole county and

b) creating two unitary authorities, based on an East / West division of existing district and city councils. The proposal for East Gloucestershire Council comprised Tewksbury Borough Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and Cotswold District Council and the associated proportion of Gloucestershire County Council. The proposal for West Gloucestershire Council comprised Gloucester City Council, Forest of Dean District Council and Stroud District Council and the associated proportion of Gloucestershire County Council.

Following engagement with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Council, Cabinet would determine which, if any, proposal should be formally submitted to the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government in response to his invitation of 5 February 2025.

The item was introduced by the Leader, Councillor Mike Evemy, who gave some background and explained that the process had been lengthy, beginning with a ministerial letter sent to the former Leader in February 2025. Work had continued since then, leading to that afternoon’s meeting, where Cotswold District Council’s Cabinet—last among the seven principal authorities—would formally make its decision. It was emphasised that the ultimate choice rested with the government, which intended to replace existing county, district, and borough councils with unitary authorities and would select from the submitted proposals. It was further noted that the extensive documents reviewed by members, including the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, would be sent to the government. Of the six councils that had already decided, three preferred a single Gloucestershire unitary, one supported a two-unitary east–west model, one backed the Greater Gloucestershire proposal, and one expressed no preference and opposed reorganisation.

The Leader then spoke to the proposed resolution to Council around Local Government Reorganisation, which had been made available to Councillors as a printed document. (Item 13 - Annex A).

Councillor Evemy noted that the process had been a long journey. Some had initially feared that a single Gloucestershire unitary would be too large and might weaken local representation, but the Council had avoided prejudgment and worked through the evidence. He explained that many involved had gradually concluded that a single unitary would offer stronger, less disruptive service delivery and greater financial resilience than an east–west split, while acknowledging that both proposals were viable and that the government could choose either option. The Council was asked to support recommending the single unitary in a joint letter from six of the seven councils confirming which of the options were preferred. The letter would be submitted before Friday’s deadline, alongside an explanatory letter from the Leader. It was noted that work would continue after submission, with leaders and chief executives preparing for the next stage while the government assessed options, planned ... view the full minutes text for item 58

Issue - meetings

Local Government Reorganisation Proposal

Meeting: 26/11/2025 - Cabinet (Item 171)

Meeting: 26/11/2025 - Council (Item 58)

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