Government launches review of local government reorganisation

The Government has formally launched a review of its local government reorganisation programme, withdrawing several previously announced decisions and pausing others to ensure the process is legally robust and aligned with ministerial priorities.

The review follows updated and privileged legal advice received by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. As part of the announcement, decisions affecting Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk have been withdrawn, while plans for 14 further areas, including Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and West Sussex, have been paused pending the outcome of the review.

Ministers said the review will ensure that reorganisation proposals support the Government’s wider ambition to “rewire the state” and deliver simpler, more sustainable local government structures. To provide certainty for councils and residents during the review period, the Government confirmed that local elections scheduled for May 2027 will proceed on existing council boundaries.

The announcement was made in Parliament by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, who emphasised the Government’s commitment to devolving power closer to communities and ensuring that any structural reform is both effective and lawful.

IoL members can stay up to date with ongoing developments through the Institute of Licensing’s LGR & Devolution Hub, which provides regularly updated resources, guidance and analysis on local government reorganisation across England.