Stroud District Council’s Green leader has branded the Government’s local government reorganisation process “an absolute shambles”, accusing ministers of creating huge uncertainty while forcing councils to pour valuable time and resources into a process that has now been put on hold.
The Government has unexpectedly paused plans for a major shake-up of local government across England and launched a review following updated legal advice. The county is one of 14 areas where local government reorganisation (LGR) is now being paused while a review is carried out.
Cllr Chloe Turner, leader of Stroud District Council and the council’s Green group, said the reorganisation plans had been a major distraction at a time when councils should have been concentrating on protecting and improving local services.
She said: “What an absolute shambles.
“It was clear from the start that Labour’s local government reorganisation plans were about cost-cutting, removing power and representation from the communities they claimed they wanted to devolve to – and then making those communities pay for the privilege.
“What a distraction this has been when we should have been focused on reviving local services, restoring public trust and having the finance and headspace to tackle the climate and nature emergency.
“As Greens, we have said this from the start, but successive ministers simply weren’t in the mood to listen.”
Cllr Turner said councils across the country had invested significant time, money and resources in preparing for the proposed changes, with some making major organisational decisions in anticipation of local government reorganisation.
She added: “So we have got on with it, doing everything we could to deliver the best possible version of this unwelcome imposition for our residents.
“Councils across the country have committed huge amounts of time and resources to this process. They have put other crucial plans on hold, created new parishes, devolved assets, reorganised teams and service lines in anticipation. Officer colleagues have made life and career decisions based on it.
“And now it is all up in the air again.”
The Government’s latest position has raised fresh questions over the future of the reorganisation programme, including what it means for Gloucestershire.
Cllr Turner said she would welcome the scheme being shelved if it meant local government remained genuinely local – but warned that councils and communities should not be left to pick up the bill for the uncertainty.
She said: “If this whole scheme is now shelved – and we wait to hear more about Gloucestershire – I will be relieved that sense has finally, finally prevailed and local government will remain local.
“But from all the chaos the Government has created, our communities will need restitution.”
Cllr Turner said this should include reimbursement for money already spent preparing for reorganisation, as well as a new funding settlement for councils.
She also called for guarantees that areas without a mayor would not lose out when it comes to devolved powers and funding.
“That means reimbursement for all the wasted spending getting to this point; a new funding settlement following cuts to our budget through the Business Rates Reset and the Fair Funding Review; and an assurance that areas like ours without a mayor will not be disadvantaged when it comes to devolved powers and funding, particularly on transport, economic development and climate action.
“We also need clarity about what this latest announcement means for the mayoral area and spatial planning questions in Gloucestershire, including where housing and economic growth will be located.
“Yet again, we wait – and hope that this time our communities’ needs will actually be listened to.”
A spokesperson for Stroud District Council said: “Government Reorganisation (LGR) is being paused and reviewed. This includes proposals affecting Gloucestershire.
“This is an unexpected announcement from the Government, which we know will prompt many questions from all stakeholders across Gloucestershire. Councils in Gloucestershire are seeking further information, while we await the Secretary of State’s announcement to the House of Commons later this afternoon.
“In that announcement, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, is expected to say that the review follows updated legal advice provided to ministers. As part of this process, the Government has confirmed that plans for a number of areas will be paused while the review is undertaken.
“The Government has stated that the purpose of the review is to ensure that the reorganisation process is “robust, complies with legal requirements, and aligns with the priorities of the new administration and its wider plans for devolution and local government reform”.
“As part of this announcement, the Government will also confirm that local elections scheduled for May 2027 will proceed on existing council boundaries while the review is carried out.
“At this stage, we do not have any further detail on the implications for Gloucestershire or on the timescales for completing the review. Council leaders and senior leadership teams at Gloucestershire’s principal councils are expecting to be briefed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in the next 24 hours, and will issue a further statement after that.”
