The landscape of local government in England is shifting at a pace not seen for decades. As councils grapple with financial pressures, political changes, and rising demand, the reorganisation of local authorities has become a key goal for this government and a growing pre-occupation for public service leaders who will oversee the changes. The recent announcements in March of the first tranche of two-tier areas facing reorganisation have potentially foreshadowed the outcomes for the remaining areas due to be announced in the summer. The March announcements have sought to create multi-unitary councils across previous single county footprints thus increasing the number of new local authorities significantly.
Amid this challenging backdrop, policy makers, elected members, officers and regulators must confront an array of pressing questions: how do we maintain safe and effective children's services while implementing national reforms and in many cases going through LGR at the same time? How can we adapt to delivering children's services across new or existing organisational boundaries?
