Seven councils to become one to save £21m a year

Seven county and district councils are to be replaced by one single unitary authority in a bid to streamline services and save £21m a year.

The new council for the whole of Gloucestershire will come into operation in April 2028, the government announced, with elections to the new authority taking place in May 2027.

The council will cover nearly 670,000 people, making it the third largest unitary authority in England.

Steve Reed, the secretary of state for local government, said two-tier structures like the current model – comprising county and district bodies – were "confusing for residents" and "divide responsibilities, slow down decisions, duplicate costs and blur accountability".

Under the current system, only Gloucestershire County Council is in the top tier.

It oversees roads, libraries, schools, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, strategic planning, adult social care and children's services, among others.

The second tier comprises the six district councils – covering Stroud, Gloucester, the Cotswolds, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the Forest of Dean.

They are in charge of services including local planning, waste collection and housing.

The new authority will take over responsibility for all services.

The government said the move was expected to save nearly £21m per year, with £164m in net savings over the next 10 years.

A statement issued on behalf of all seven councils said there would be no immediate change to services.

"In recent months, our councils have been working very well together, preparing to deliver on the government's decision," the councils said, adding that the co-operation would continue.

Councillor Vernon Smith, leader of the Reform UK Group at Gloucestershire County Council, said "nobody in Gloucestershire" had voted for the change, with the reorganisation "imposed from Whitehall".

"That said, of the options on the table, a single council for the whole of Gloucestershire is the least damaging outcome," he said.

He said the move avoided "carving the county in two" and duplicating "administrative bureaucracy".

Gloucester's Labour MP Alex McIntyre welcomed the announcement, saying it brought "much needed clarity".

"Throughout this process there have been strong views on different sides of the argument, but I think it's important now that we all come together behind this new authority," he said.

Conservative group leader at Gloucestershire County Council, Stephen Davies, said the announcement was "great news for the people of Gloucestershire".

He said the solution allowed for the delivery of better services without "wasting money on splitting the existing services".

Leader of Gloucester City Council, Jeremy Hilton, said he was "really disappointed" that the government had rejected a Greater Gloucester model, which would have created a separate authority for the city.

"A single unitary council is going to be too big, it's going to be too remote," he said.

"Its geography will be much bigger than that of Birmingham and Leeds [which have the two biggest unitary authorities in the country].

"It's going to be very difficult for us to run a local authority of that size."

Gloucestershire County Council leader Lisa Spivey said she wanted the change to be "as seamless as possible".

"We want to ensure that your bins are picked up, your granny gets the health care she needs, your child has got a school place," she said.

"From a resident's point of view we want it to appear almost as if nothing has happened."

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