Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) – Gloucestershire proposals submitted to government
Gloucestershire councils today (28 November) made a joint submission to government on proposals for the…
Your councils are changing. The government wants to give more power to local areas and simplify how local government works. These changes are explained in a plan called the English Devolution White Paper.
The current system of local government is complicated with different types of councils responsible for various aspects of our day-to-day lives.
These councils include strategic authorities (currently these are mayoral combined authorities such as Greater Manchester), county councils, city councils, borough councils, district councils and parish councils.
In Gloucestershire, we have:
- Gloucestershire County Council, which deals with issues such as adult and children’s social care, education, waste disposal and highways.
- Six district councils (for example, Stroud District Council), which deal with issues such as planning, revenues and benefits, housing, licensing and waste collection.
- Parish councils (for example, Northway Parish Council), which deal with very local services and facilities in the towns and villages.
The main goals of the recent White Paper are to give local areas more control over decisions (known as devolution) and to make the local government structure simpler (known as Local Government Reorganisation, or LGR).
Proposals
Gloucestershire councils have worked together, and with local partners, to develop Local Government Reorganisation proposals detailing both single-unitary and two-unitary options.
- Proposal for one unitary council for the whole of Gloucestershire
- Proposal for two unitary councils: one for the west (Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Stroud) and one for the east (Cheltenham, Cotswold, Tewkesbury)
- Proposal for two unitary councils: one would be an expanded Gloucester City, called Greater Gloucester, which includes several nearby parishes; the other would cover the rest of the county, called Gloucestershire Unitary.
Each of the seven councils considered the proposals through their own democratic processes and voted on their preferred options. Links to council discussion papers and outcomes can be found below.
The three proposals were submitted to the government on 28 November 2025.
A joint covering letter – signed by Gloucestershire County Council, Cheltenham Borough Council, Cotswold District Council, Forest of Dean District Council, Stroud District Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council – was also submitted to accompany the proposals.
In addition, each council had the option of submitting their own letter to set out their preferred option.
The government will be taking views on the proposals submitted, and will make a decision on which best meets their criteria, with a government run consultation likely to be in the early part of 2026.
Gloucestershire County Council
Cabinet – Monday, 3 November 2025
Council – Wednesday, 12 November 2025
Cabinet – Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Papers are available (Thursday, 23 October 2025).
Proposal recommended:
Single unitary authority
Forest of Dean District Council
Council – Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Cabinet – Thursday, 20 November 2025
Papers are available (Wednesday, 5 November 2025.)
Proposal recommended:
Not supportive of Local Government Reorganisation
(i.e. none of the above)
Cheltenham Borough Council
Council – Monday, 17 November 2025
Cabinet – Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Papers are available (Friday, 7 November 2025).
Proposal recommended:
Two unitary authorities (east/west)
Tewkesbury Borough Council
Council – Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Papers are available (Monday, 10 November 2025).
Proposal recommended:
Single unitary authority
Gloucester City Council
Council – Thursday, 20 November 2025
Papers are available (Wednesday, 12 November 2025).
Proposal recommended:
Two unitary authorities
(Greater Gloucester/Gloucestershire Unitary)
Stroud District Council
Council – Thursday, 20 November 2025
Papers are available (Wednesday, 12 November 2025).
Proposal recommended:
Single unitary authority
Cotswold District Council
Overview and Scrutiny – Monday, 17 November 2025
Cabinet – Thursday, 20 November 2025
Council – Wednesday, 26 November 2025
Papers are available (Wednesday, 12 November 2025).
Proposal recommended:
Single unitary authority
Boundaries
One unitary
Two unitary (East/West split)
Two unitary (Greater Gloucester City)
Have your say
As Gloucestershire moves through the Local Government Reorganisation process, it’s important that you feel well-informed and have a chance to share your thoughts on how a unitary council – or councils – should be shaped.
During the summer of 2025, the seven councils ran a public survey and a series of in-person engagement events to ask:
- How well do you feel your council services work?
- What about your community is most important to you?
- How can we make Gloucestershire run as smoothly as possible?
The feedback from this engagement was used to inform the proposals submitted to the government.
Look out for more opportunities to share your views on Local Government Reorganisation in 2026.
Local government is set to change in Gloucestershire with all councils working together on proposals to go to government.
We want to thank the thousands of people who took the time to fill in our survey.
Webinars were held Tuesday, 5 August and Wednesday, 6 August to provide information about devolution and Local Government Reorganisation and to give people the opportunity to ask questions. If you were unable to attend, or want to watch again, you can view a recording of the main presentation.
Timeline
This is the quickest possible timetable for setting up a new council in Gloucestershire. The dates may change, depending on decisions made by the government.
21 March 2025
Gloucestershire councils submit interim plan and proposal for new unitary structure.
28 November 2025
Gloucestershire councils submit full proposal and plan for new unitary structure.
December 2025 to April 2026
Government reviews proposals – decision and legislative changes to follow.
May to December 2027
Elections for new unitary (shadow authority).
April 2028
New unitary structure introduced.
FAQs
Part of devolution involves powers that currently sit with government being given to a local area. The government is keen to do this by establishing strategic authorities in areas that don’t currently have one. The role of a strategic authority can vary, but the aim is that local decision makers can have more of a say in what happens in their area and are responsible for large projects that make a difference to peoples’ lives, including:
- Better, quicker transport
- Affordable housing projects
- Skills programmes
- Employment support
For Gloucestershire, devolution will see the creation of a new strategic authority, made up of Gloucestershire and other neighbouring areas such as West of England (Bristol, Bath and South Gloucestershire) or Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and the authority will be led by a directly elected mayor.
Recently, the government announced the six new areas that will join the Devolution Priority Programme – Gloucestershire is not one of the areas that will be prioritised in this first phase, however we are still expected to submit proposals to government by November 2025.
Local Government Reorganisation is the process in which the structure and responsibilities of local authorities are reconfigured.
The English Devolution White Paper also sets out that new, larger unitary authorities will replace district, borough and county councils.
Given 60% of the country already has strategic authorities (mayoral authorities) and unitary councils, it is seeking to reorganise local government in areas that still have separate county and district councils – replacing them with unitary authorities to deliver all services. In the south-west of England, only Gloucestershire and Devon have a two-tier system. All the other counties and cities are run by unitary councils.
Devolution could mean:
- More powers and more funding being passed down from government.
- Better coordination of services across the whole region.
- Better support for skills development for our residents.
- More strategic control over planning and housing.
- A stronger voice for our region with central government.
Local Government Reorganisation could mean:
- A more coordinated approach to service delivery.
- Better value for money.
- Generation of savings.
- Stronger strategic and local leadership.
Currently, local councils are asking for residents’ views that will help them to develop the initial proposals they handed in to government in March into full business cases. These business cases must be submitted to government in November 2025.
The government then plans to conduct a formal consultation on the proposals submitted by Gloucestershire councils around the turn of the year. You can get an idea of what this might look like by viewing the consultation currently live in Surrey – Local government reorganisation in Surrey – GOV.UK.
Ultimately, it is the government that will decide which proposal is implemented in Gloucestershire.
Gloucestershire councils submitted an interim proposal to Government in line with the 21 March deadline, both single-unitary and two-unitary options. Cheltenham Borough Council also submitted an additional proposal for a two-unitary split.
Useful links
More information on the English Devolution White Paper
The English Devolution White Paper sets out the government’s agenda to increase and expand devolution across all parts of England.
Local Government Association (LGA) Devolution Hub
Visit the LGA Devolution Hub to find further information and resources. This includes a list of regularly updated devolution and local government reorganisation FAQs.
You can find updates on the current devolution framework and devolution deals agreed between the government and local areas.
Letter from Jim McMahon OBE. Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution
The letter dated 25 July 2025, to Leaders of the councils in the 21 areas invited to submit proposals for unitary local government.
The letter to all two-tier councils and neighbouring unitary authorities, dated 16 December 2024, sets out the government’s process and milestones.