Gloucestershire Councils submit proposals for Future Local Government Structure

Gloucestershire’s seven councils have jointly submitted their proposals to the government on the future shape of local government in the county, following a month of debate and discussion across the district and borough authorities.

The joint submission, sent yesteday, is accompanied by a letter emphasising the strong collaboration and joint working already taking place across the county. Throughout November, councillors considered the advantages and disadvantages of several Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) models before agreeing their individual recommendations.

A breakdown of each council’s preferred option is as follows:

Council	Recommendation to Government
Cheltenham Borough Council	Two unitaries – East/West
Cotswold District Council	One unitary
Forest of Dean District Council	None (not supportive of LGR)
Gloucester City Council	Two unitaries – Greater Gloucester / Gloucestershire Unitary
Gloucestershire County Council	One unitary
Stroud District Council	One unitary
Tewkesbury Borough Council	One unitary

The full proposals have been published on the Future Gloucestershire website under the Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation programme.

The government is expected to begin consulting on all valid submissions early next year, with a final decision due in summer 2026. Elections to a new shadow authority—or authorities, depending on the chosen structure—are likely to take place in May 2027, ahead of a new unitary model coming into effect on 1 April 2028.

In the meantime, all seven Gloucestershire councils have committed to continuing collaborative work to plan for the transition and ensure services can be delivered smoothly under any new system introduced.

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk