Government announcement made – Single unitary for Gloucestershire
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:
The main goals of the 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).
Government announces decision on local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire – a single, new unitary council to be created.
More detail on the rationale can be read in this letter from the Secretary of State, who made the announcement in the House of Commons on 16 July 2026.
The Government has today announced its decision on the future structure of local government in Gloucestershire.
The decision is to create a single unitary council, which will replace existing county, city, district and borough councils on 1 April 2028.
The Government has said that the single unitary option best met the criteria. This was particularly the case in three respects: it provides a sensible geography for economic growth and housing, it is easier to deliver joined up public services, and a good platform for community empowerment.
More detail on the rationale can be read in this letter from the Secretary of State, who made the announcement in the House of Commons on 16 July 2026.
At this stage, there will be no changes to council services which will be delivered as normal. Residents should continue to access these services in the way they normally would.
In recent months, our councils have been working very well together, preparing to deliver on the government’s decision. That work will continue while we get into the detail of the decision and exactly how it will be implemented, with full focus on ensuring the best outcomes for our local communities.
While our councils adopted their own position regarding the best future structure of local government in Gloucestershire, we are united in our commitment to the people and communities we serve. Our shared priority has always been to ensure that residents and businesses continue to receive the services they rely on, and that those services are delivered to the very highest standard.
We recognise that while this decision brings a degree of clarity about the future of local government in Gloucestershire, it will also raise further questions that we are not yet able to answer.
We are still at an early stage in this process. The new council needs to be created legally. Then there will be elections to a shadow authority on 6 May 2027 which will make the key decisions related to the creation of the new council. The new council will be effective from 1 April 2028.
Throughout this process, our seven councils remain committed to keeping residents, staff and partners fully informed and will share more information as it becomes available.
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.
Gloucestershire councils submit interim plan and proposal for new unitary structure.
Gloucestershire councils submit full proposal and plan for new unitary structure.
Government reviews proposals – decision and legislative changes to follow.
Elections for new unitary (shadow authority).
New unitary structure introduced.
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:
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:
Local Government Reorganisation could mean:
Local councils asked for residents’ views to help them to develop proposal business cases which were submitted to government in November 2025.
The government then conducted a formal consultation on the proposals for seven weeks from Thursday, 5 February.
Ultimately, it is the government that will decide which proposal is implemented in Gloucestershire.
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:
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:
Local Government Reorganisation could mean:
Local councils asked for residents’ views to help them to develop proposal business cases which were submitted to government in November 2025.
The government then conducted a formal consultation on the proposals for seven weeks from Thursday, 5 February.
Ultimately, it is the government that will decide which proposal is implemented in Gloucestershire.
The English Devolution White Paper sets out the government’s agenda to increase and expand devolution across all parts of England.
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.
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.
A letter dated 16 July 2026, to Leaders of the Gloucestershire councils outlining the Gloucestershire decision.