Reorganisation
Rival plans for Lancashire reorganisation
Competing bids for the reorganisation of local government in Lancashire have been put forward by city and borough councils.
Ministers to receive Somerset unitary business case
A business case for a single Somerset unitary has been sent to communities secretary Robert Jenrick and local government minister Simon Clarke.
Plan to hand social care to NHS is for ‘wrong reasons’
Plans to hand social care to the NHS are being mooted for ‘all the wrong reasons,’ local government finance expert Rob Whiteman has said.
Williams: I'll accept whatever it takes to get a county unitary
The leader of Hertfordshire CC has conceded he would accept a directly-elected mayor as the figurehead for a county unitary in order to secure reorganisation.
Reorganisation will deter potential councillors, report warns
Local government unitary reorganisation will slash the number of councillors and deter many from standing for election, a report for the District Councils’ Network (DCN) has warned.
Enjoy summer as it’s not looking good for the rest of the year
The Government seems to have fallen in love with the idea of big unitary councils and elected mayors, says Paul Wheeler. But this enthusiasm for re-organisation is grim news for the multitude of mainly Conservative district councils, he adds.
Let's think carefully about the best scale for delivering public services
We have seen a lack of sophisticated thinking by Government about the level at which COVID-19 initiatives were delivered, says Abdool Kara - and it looks like this may be a key theme in the NAO's ongoing coronavirus-related work programme.
County unitary plan timing 'poor'
Hertfordshire’s 10 district and borough leaders have hit out against county council plans for a single unitary covering 1.2m residents.
Somerset unitary plan 'too big'
South Somerset DC councillors have claimed proposals for a single county unitary are based on ‘failed examples of local government’.
Clarke: Unitarisation vital first step in mayoral talks
Unitarisation of councils will be a ‘vital first step’ for negotiating a series of new mayors within the next decade, local government minister Simon Clarke has said.
Rugby kicks off unitary review
Rugby BC is expected to invite its neighbouring Warwickshire councils to jointly commission a review of future structures and powers in the county.
Sector faces 'battle royal' over reorganisation
Local government has been warned it faces a ‘battle royal’ with ministers appearing determined to force through reorganisation.
District leader hits out against 'super-council'
A district council leader has rebuffed the idea of a unitary council for North Yorkshire covering a population of more than 600,000 people.
Race for reorganisation gathers pace in Surrey and Somerset
The race towards reorganisation is gaining pace more plans emerging in Somerset and Surrey – while south Essex says it wants to keep its districts.
Clarke vows to 'finish the job' on mayors and create more unitaries
Local government minister Simon Clarke has emphasised the Government’s commitment to introducing more elected mayors and unitary councils.
Warwickshire districts vote on reorganisation
Stratford DC is to vote next week on plans to create a ‘super district’ with neighbouring Warwick DC.
The new local - taking a sector-led approach to restructuring
Ben Ward, partner at Ameo and Lesley Seary, non-executive director at FutureGov reflect on the future shape of government at a local and regional level
Jenrick: We'll back local government
Robert Jenrick has promised that Whitehall will back local government in the same way councils ‘stepped up and supported people in their time of need’.
Will coronavirus kill democratic local government?
The Government might welcome an end to elected local government, say Jonathan Davies and Dr Arianna Giovannini. But they argue this outcome would be ‘dangerously short-sighted’.
LGA shies away from reorganisation 'fight back'
The Local Government Association (LGA) has shied away from calls for it to launch a ‘fight back’ against reorganisation though senior members criticised any top-down approach.
