Ministers are determined to stick to the local government reorganisation timeline and let local authorities “get on” with their other priorities, local government minister Alison McGovern has...
County councils have claimed that local government reorganisation plans pose a “significant risk” to essential services, and are more costly, less stable and less effective than the current system.
Ministers should boost devolution plans to give local authorities beyond the metro bubble more powers as top-down control from Whitehall “may stifle genuine regional autonomy”, a think-tank has...
Devolution and the shift to empower regions is paving the way for a greater focus on prevention as a way to transform public services, according to the Re:State think-tank.
The re-elected leader of Hampshire County Council has said that it is to pursue a judicial review of the local government reorganisation outcome after confirming its new administration and cabinet...
The newly elected Reform UK leader of Essex County Council has initiated legal proceedings against the government over the county’s local government reorganisation decision.
Councils preparing for local government reorganisation must bring their people with them during the transformation so they can start delivering from day one with renewed purpose and confidence,...
The first wave of local government reorganisation decisions has divided opinion, after many of the new councils fell below the government’s previously stated 500,000 population threshold criteria.
Councils have expressed concerns about growing cyber risks resulting from local government reorganisation as mergers increase the number of partners involved in managing data and securing...
The government’s decision to go ahead with local elections in 21 areas originally slated to hold delayed ballots in 2027 has been labelled a ‘fiasco’ by the Institute for Government.
New English unitary councils must ensure digital leaders are involved in decision making at the highest level or risk derailing the agenda for devolution and public service reform, a study published...
England will remain one of the most centralised large democracies even if the government’s devolution plans are successfully delivered, unless the government develops a clear strategy for the next 25...
Plans to reform local government by replacing the current two-tier system with new single-tier unitary councils took a further step forward yesterday after the government launched consultations on...
Journalist Christian Doherty looks at how the latest deal, part of England’s new wave of local government reorganisations, was achieved and what the two new unitary authorities will mean for Surrey.
As England embarks on its most ambitious programme of local government reorganisation since the 1970s, international experience offers valuable insights into both the opportunities and challenges...
A draft proposal for a single new unitary council covering Worcestershire would cost £59m to implement, cut the number of councillors in half and deliver a “comparatively rapid return” within three...
Debt-ridden Woking Borough Council is to receive an initial bailout of £500m as the government gave the go-ahead to proposals to create two new unitary authorities in Surrey.
Local government reorganisation risks exacerbating the “immense” financial strain under which councils are already operating, according to the chair of an influential parliamentary committee.
County councils have warned that thousands of vulnerable people could face a triple whammy of diminished services once the authorities are split into multiple smaller unitaries.
Government plans for local government reorganisation have been described as a “blatant power grab” which would fail to address the financial challenges facing the sector.
Stronger safeguards are needed to protect accountability as the government moves ahead with plans to introduce powerful local mayors across England, experts have warned.
Proposals to split Suffolk into three new unitaries as part of the reorganisation of English local government have been called “costly and unworkable” by the county council, which prefers a different...
Strategic authorities being rolled out as part of the government’s plans for English devolution should be legally obliged to involve residents in decision-making, according to a leading think-tank.
