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While last week's decision to ‘pause' local government reorganisation (LGR) left most of the sector in shock, some councils got over it quicker than others.Those that had launched legal action against the Government appeared delighted to see LGR delayed and possibly abandoned. Michael Hadwen, leader of Reform-run Suffolk CC, claimed to have delivered a ‘resounding victory' and protected the future of the county.But council leaders in Suffolk's more rural districts were less impressed, regretting the time and effort they spent preparing for unitarisation and wondering whether, as ministers take a further look at LGR, it really is business as usual.Deborah Saw, leader of Babergh DC, said she was ‘dumbfounded' by the withdrawal of plans to create three unitaries in place of Suffolk CC. ‘It will take us a lot of time to come to terms with it,' said Cllr Saw, who heads a coalition of Green, Liberal Democrat and independent councillors.For her, joining forces with other councils would be a positive step that builds on shared services and existing co-operation over local plans. ‘I saw LGR as an opportunity to transform our provision and put it in the context of the wider public sector,' she said.Persuading candidates to stand in next May's elections will be a challenge, as they won't know how long their term of office will be, while recruitment problems could get trickier. ‘Our officers deserve better. They were working on LGR and keeping day-to-day services going,' said Cllr Saw. ‘We're not overburdened with surplus staff.'Andy Mellen, leader of Mid Suffolk BC, said it was impossible to know how the delay to LGR may affect economic growth or council services. ‘I'm shellshocked. Officers are shellshocked,' he said. ‘An awful lot of trust has been lost in government.'Suffolk is one of four areas where LGR decisions issued in July were withdrawn, along with Essex, Hampshire and Norfolk. Proposals covering a further 14 areas were placed on hold, along with decisions for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and West Sussex, that were already delayed.Leigh Whitehouse, chief executive of West Sussex CC, said it was embarrassing to have to write to staff and explain that a decision had again been put off. ‘We are leading people through change. We want to minimise uncertainty,' he said.The delay of at least one more year could have ramifications for council contracts, and recruitment. People seeking jobs in local government, he added, were more likely to be attracted by posts at local authorities unaffected by LGR.Jeremy Newmark, leader of a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition at Hertsmere DC, regretted the four unitary model for Hertfordshire announced in July is now in doubt and urged ministers to conclude the latest ‘review' as quickly as possible.While the extra year granted to the administration elected in May felt ‘liberating', LGR was bound to hang over the county council for the immediate future.‘If a conversation doesn't start off being about LGR, then it soon comes back to it,' said Whitehouse. ‘Any decision that has an impact lasting more than a year still has to take into account the local authorities that may follow.'Richard Millard, leader of Tory-run East Hampshire DC, said the delay to LGR was the ‘final nail in the coffin' to its local plan, forcing the council to embark on a 30-month process all over again. ‘LGR has not gone away. It remains on the horizon, but we have no idea when it will happen,' said Cllr Millard.Dawn Adey, the council's chief executive, said: ‘I'm not pleased to be returning to that feeling of limbo.' Residents were informed via social media that LGR had been delayed following a government decision. ‘Residents who commented were relieved they are not losing their local council,' she added.On a more positive note, said Adey, the council learnt from the first attempt at LGR that it needs to improve job descriptions of employees and keep all its policies in a single place.Jeremy Newmark, leader of a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition at Hertsmere DC, regretted the four unitary model for Hertfordshire announced in July is now in doubt and urged ministers to conclude the latest ‘review' as quickly as possible.‘Officers and councillors have committed thousands of hours to this work,' he said. ‘A pause of indefinite length puts all of that planning on hold, creates uncertainty for our staff and our partners, and risks distracting the sector from what matters most.'There is also the matter of cost. Julian Brazil, leader of Devon CC, said it had spent ‘at least £1m' on LGR, and will seek compensation. ‘It's the Government's bill and they should pay it,' he said.Across the country, many programme directors for LGR have been in post for less than two months and barely got their feet under the desk. It is uncertain what they will do for the immediate future.Their six-figure salaries should be covered by the £900,000 in transition funding that was promised to each new unitary, though it is unclear how much of this has so far been awarded to local authorities. ‘These people do not come cheap,' commented one chief executive.Councils in West Sussex hope to come up with a collective figure for how much they have spent on LGR. As no decision had been announced prior to the pause, money has yet to reach any council in the county. ‘We're keen to get that inequity addressed as soon as possible,' said Whitehouse.At a briefing for council leaders and chief executives the morning after the ‘review' of LGR was announced, local government minister Jim McMahon made regular apologies for the situation councils find themselves in, but declined to make any firm offer of compensation.His suggestion that council leaders need to keep their workforces ‘motivated' while ministers decide what to do next was met with wry smiles, though McMahon would have needed to stare closely into his laptop to see their reaction.Richard Wright, leader of North Kesteven DC, made briefing staff his first priority after news of the delay emerged. ‘We couldn't tell them how long they are going to be employed for as we don't know how long North Kesteven is going to be around,' he added.Cllr Wright, who also chairs the Local Councils Network, said the delay to LGR will affect financial planning and investment decisions. Medium-term plans that had been accelerated might well need to be revisited.We want to see if we can put longer-term plans back on the table,' he said. ‘There is also no reason to rush medium-term plans if there's no need to.'In Devon, Cllr Brazil said the county council would be working closely with districts ahead of any further decision. ‘One of the benefits of this process is that the county and districts are working together much better than before,' he said.While the county council was not opposed to LGR in principle, its priority was to improve services such as adult care, he added. ‘Setting up unitaries may be great for economic growth, but that's not what councils do,' he said. ‘We look after vulnerable people, collect rubbish, and provide the foundations for healthy communities.'

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Dealing with LGR limbo

By Neil Merrick | 15 September 2026

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