What has been announced?
In a written statement to the House of Commons on 25 March 2026, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed announced plans to take forward a series of proposals for local government reorganisation in four areas. Currently, some parts of England have a two-tiered system of local government with country councils and district/borough councils. The Government has been seeking to eliminate this structure and implement new unitary authorities, with councils in these areas (and a number of smaller neighbouring unitary authorities) invited to submit proposals for unitarisation.
Today, Steve Reed announced he had written to the leaders of councils setting out decisions to implement the following proposals:
Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock – a 5 unitary proposal will be taken forward, creating new councils referred to as West Essex Council, North East Essex Council, Mid Essex Council, South West Essex Council, and South East Essex Council.
Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton – a 5 unitary proposal will be taken forward, creating new councils referred to as North Hampshire Council, Mid Hampshire Council, South East Hampshire Council, South West Hampshire Council, and Isle of Wight Council (which is an existing unitary authority).
Norfolk – a 3 unitary proposal will be taken forward, creating new councils referred to as West Norfolk Council, Greater Norwich Council, and East Norfolk Council
Suffolk – 3 unitary proposal will be taken forward, creating new councils referred to as Central and Eastern Suffolk Council, Western Suffolk Council, and Ipswich and South Suffolk Council.
The creation of the new councils will see current district/borough and county councils dissolved. In some areas, the new proposed councils will be based on existing district/borough boundaries, while other areas are being split by parishes (with more specific details published on GOV.UK). The announcements have received mixed reactions in the impacted local places, with many different proposals previously put forward to Government. Some existing councils have expressed concerns over the number of new unitary authorities, while others have welcomed the announcements.
What has led to this stage and what comes next?
The Government has previously made clear its ambition to reorganise local government to support its mission to grow the economy. It has argued that local government reorganisations presents “a once-in-a-generation chance to make sure our councils match the modern realities of our places, making sure outdated boundaries are not constraining growth, particularly in our towns and cities”.
In February 2025, councils in the 21 areas that still have two-tier local government (and neighbouring small unitary authorities) were invited to submit proposals for new unitary structures in their areas. Six areas in particular were invited to put forward proposals by 26 September 2025, ahead of these going to consultation. Many proposals have been developed across the 21 areas – with 17 proposals received by the Government alone in the 6 prioritised areas. Proposals were invited to meet specific criteria including:
The Government has said decisions on each area have been made on a case-by-case basis and that they do not set a precedent for the other 14 areas going through local government reorganisation. Areas covered by the selected proposals will receive at least £900,000 per unitary authority to help establish new structures and, subject to Parliamentary approval, elections will be held in the new unitary councils in May 2027 and the councils will operate fully from April 2028.
In 2 of the 6 areas, the Government has yet to make decisions, with Steve Reed expressing concerns regarding all four proposals received for East Sussex and Brighton and Hove and West Sussex, but has committed to still delivering reorganisation in these areas on the same timescales as above.
What could the changes mean for local areas?
Subject to the changes receiving Parliamentary approval, the latest plans announced by the Government will see major changes to local government structures in a variety of areas. While it will take time for some changes to be noticeable for local residents, the changes are expected to see council boundaries change – in some cases significantly and for the first time in many decades. Over time, this could see a shift in how services are delivered, and the Government hopes the changes will better enable better aligned local structures and both growth and efficiency savings.
The changes announced today are just for a small number of areas, with more areas expecting to be part of similar announcements in future. The reorganisation of local government comes at a time of broader change for the sector – including through the ongoing progression of devolution with the establishment of new strategic authorities, and a changing funding landscape with the imminent end of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the start of the new Local Growth Fund and Pride in Place Programme.
At GC Insight our team support central and local governments and other organisations to support more informed decisions for bigger positive impacts across a range of services. Our team have recently been involved in the development of economic strategies for a new of new unitary authorities, and are supporting areas across topics including skills, employment, workforce planning and more across the UK. See more about our latest work here, and get in touch with our team to learn more.
Published: 25 March 2026
