Overview - Local Government Reorganisation
Information on the proposed council reforms, including the timeline provided by national government
Introduction
The English Devolution White Paper: Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth sets out the Government's plans to reform local government across England. It sets out proposals to increase and expand devolution, as well as plans to take forward Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in areas where there are two-tier local authorities, like Cambridgeshire.
On 16 December 2024, we received a letter from Jim McMahon, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution. The letter sent to all two-tier councils and neighbouring unitary authorities sets out clear processes and milestones.
What is Devolution?
In England, devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. It is important because it ensures that decisions are made closer to local people, communities and businesses. Cambridgeshire benefits from an existing devolution deal through the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA). Through the white paper the Government aims to establish devolution deals for all areas in England.
What is Local Government Reorganisation?
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), is the process in which the structure and responsibilities of local authorities are reconfigured. The Government has set out plans to replace the current two-tier system of district, city and county councils in England with single-tiers of local government, known as unitary authorities.
At present, Cambridgeshire has a two-tier council system, with five district councils (Fenland District Council, Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council), and Cambridgeshire County Council. It also has a separate unitary authority, Peterborough City Council.
Following LGR, local services in Cambridgeshire will be delivered by one or more unitary authorities. The current councils as they are will no longer exist.
Timeline
This is an outline of the timeline provided by the Government in the white paper. It includes proposed and confirmed dates. Dates become confirmed as we receive updates. Actions are relevant to Fenland District Council as a two-tier council.
| Type | Day/Month/Year | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed | 5 February 2025 | Statutory invitation received from Government to submit unitary proposals |
| Confirmed | 21 March 2025 | Local authorities to submit interim proposal for Local Government Reorganisation to Government |
| Confirmed | 1 May 2025 | Elections for Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority |
| Confirmed | 28 November 2025 | Local authorities to submit final proposals for Local Government Reorganisation to Government Government will then decide which proposals will be subject to a statutory consultation |
Proposed | January 2026 - April 2026 | Government consultation on the submitted proposals |
Proposed | May 2026 - August 2026 | Government to make decisions on which proposal to implement and prepare the necessary legislation for reorganisation |
Proposed | August 2026 - December 2026 | Transitional legislation required for the reorganisation will be prepared and laid |
| Proposed | May 2027 | Shadow unitary elections will be held |
| Proposed | 1 April 2028 | The new unitaries will go live |
Key updates
21 July 2025: Councillors discuss proposals for Local Government Reorganisation
On Monday 21 July, a report on Local Government Reorganisation was discussed at Fenland District Council's Full Council meeting. At that meeting, members considered the three proposals and provided feedback. Later the same day, Cabinet met to review this feedback and provide a steer to the Leader to support ongoing dialogue within the local government reorganisation process.
You can watch recordings of both meetings on our YouTube channel:
- Full Council: FDC Council Meeting - 21/07/25
- Cabinet: FDC Additional Cabinet Meeting - 21/07/25
Meeting agendas are available on the Council website:
- Full Council Agenda: Agenda for Council on Monday, 21st July, 2025, 4.00 pm - Fenland District Council
- Cabinet Agenda: Agenda for Cabinet on Monday, 21st July, 2025, 5.00 pm - Fenland District Council
19 June 2025: Engagement survey launched
An engagement survey is launched, giving communities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough the opportunity to have their say on a once in a generation opportunity to shape the future of local government.
The survey ran from Thursday 19 June to Sunday 20 July.
Feedback from the survey, along with insights from focus groups in each local authority area, will help shape detailed business cases for each of the three preferred reorganisation options. These business cases will be submitted to Government in November.
11 June 2025: Three options announced for council reorganisation plans
Council leaders announce they have identified three preferred options for creating new unitary councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
The options are based on existing authority boundaries and are being further developed to be submitted to Government by late November.
The three options each contain new unitary councils that would in future cover the entire Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area and replace all existing local authorities.
- Find out more about the options here: Three options announced for council reorganisation plans
21 March 2025: Interim Local Government Reorganisation response submitted
On 21 March 2025, the Leader of Fenland District Council, Cllr Chris Boden, wrote a letter to Government outlining Fenland District Council's position.
A separate letter, from the leaders of the other six councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council) was also submitted to Government on 21 March 2025.
- Read Cllr Boden's letter here: FDC LGR Letter - 21 March 2025 (PDF, 169 KB)
- Read the joint letter here: Joint LGR Letter - 21 March 2025
14 March 2025: Councillors debate future of Local Government at Full Council meeting
At an Extraordinary Full Council meeting on 14 March 2025, councillors debated the Government's plans for reform and considered questions to help compose the required submission to Government by 21 March 2025.
- View the agenda and watch the meeting on our YouTube channel.
5 February 2025: Formal invite received to submit initial Local Government Reorganisation proposal
On Wednesday 5 February we received our formal invitation to submit Local Government Reorganisation proposals. These proposals will bring together lower and upper tier local government services in new unitary councils. The letter, sent from Jim McMahon OBE, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, sets out the criteria against which proposals will be assessed and further guidance on what information the proposals should include.
It also confirms when we have to submit our proposals back to Government by. Interim proposals due, on, or before 21 March 2025 and full proposals by 28 November 2025. These are stated in the timeline above.
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