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Agenda item

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 17th November 2025, Council on 26th November 2025 and Extraordinary Cabinet on 26th 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 districts.

 

Cabinet Member

Councillor Mike Evemy

 

Lead Officer

Jane Portman

 

 

Minutes:

Purpose

To note the two proposals for local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire that had been developed collaboratively with all seven Gloucestershire councils.

 

The Chair suggested that call-in rules be disapplied for this item, as the timeline leading up to the government deadline for submissions did not allow for five clear days between the Cabinet decision being taken and being implemented. The report was however subject to pre-decision scrutiny and would be considered by full Council before Cabinet. It was noted that the decision on whether Gloucestershire would move to one or two unitary authorities ultimately rested with central government, although all local authorities would be able to submit their preferences to government.

 

Councillor Mike Evemy, The Leader of the Council, and Jane Portman, Interim Chief Executive Officer, introduced the report.

Two options were presented for consideration. The Greater Gloucester proposal promoted by Gloucester City Council was not being considered by the Council, as the necessary information had been submitted too late and officers had collaboratively developed the other two proposals.

 

In questioning and discussion, the following points were noted:

 

The process of developing the two proposals had been robust, with all seven councils working closely together and sharing a strong, common evidence base.

 

Population change figures were based on ONS 2023 mid-year population estimates, projected forward to 2047. These projections reflected ONS-predicted population growth only and did not factor future housing delivery or associated population increases.

 

Gloucestershire had received £266,000 from the Government to support preparatory work, which had covered communications and engagement activity and consultancy services provided by Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC). Additional direct costs to the Council had been minimal, though there was significant officer time involved, representing an “opportunity cost”. The Government had indicated that no further funding would be provided to support the cost of transition.

 

If the Minister opted for two unitary authorities, the demand for services would differ between the two authorities. Current disaggregation of Gloucestershire County Council funding indicated a potential deficit for the West and a surplus for the East. Future funding allocations would be determined by the Government and could be adjusted to reflect these differences.

 

The PWC model used data provided by all Chief Finance Officers, with CDC data drawn from the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and considered robust, although the robustness of data from the six other councils could not be confirmed. The Pixel model was employed to interpret the Fair Funding Review 2.0 estimates and their potential impact. Funding estimates were indicative and may change over time.

 

It was likely that a single authority would hold any transition budget and be accountable for its use. Governance arrangements would involve Chief Executives, Leaders, and Chief Finance Officers to ensure that funds were spent only on essential elements of the transition plan. The budget, estimated at £21–24 million, would be phased over time. Whilst individual councils would not scrutinise each expenditure, there would be a clear reporting mechanism to ensure the Council’s contribution was used in line with the transition plan.

 

It was agreed to include an additional item on the next Overview and Scrutiny agenda to determine the LGR-related information to be reported to O&S, including the potential establishment of a joint committee to scrutinise LGR progress and implementation in Gloucestershire.

 

The Committee agreed with the approach of disapplying call in rules in respect of the Cabinet decision on which, if any, LGR proposal to support, due to the time pressures involved. This was put to a vote and agreed by the Committee.

 

Councillor David Cunningham proposed supporting the recommendations in the Local Government Reorganisation Proposal and submitting the below recommendation to the Cabinet meeting on 26 November 2025. Councillor Clare Turner seconded the proposal which was put to the vote and agreed by the Committee.

 

Recommendation

That progress on the implementation Local Government Reorganisation in Gloucestershire, including decisions on the use of transition funds allocated by the Council, are subject to scrutiny and reported to Full Council, until such a time as the Shadow Authority is established. 

Voting record

For=8, 0=Against, 0=Abstain

 

RESOLVED: to NOTE the Local Government Reorganisation Proposal and submit one recommendation to Cabinet.

 

Supporting documents:

 

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