Rayner Halts Council Shake-Up in Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk

The government has withdrawn its decisions to reorganise local councils across four large areas of England and launched a wider review of the programme, after receiving updated legal advice.

Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, told MPs on Monday that she wanted to be sure the process behind the changes was sound before any further steps were taken.

Which areas are affected

Decisions that had been taken on the future shape of local government in the following areas have been withdrawn:

• Essex, together with Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock;
• Hampshire, together with the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton;
• Norfolk;
• Suffolk.

Proposals in other parts of the country, including Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and West Sussex, will also be looked at again as part of the review, which covers decisions made in July as well as areas still waiting to hear the outcome of their bids.

Surrey is the one area not affected. Plans there to create East Surrey and West Surrey unitary authorities will continue, with the new councils due to take over in April 2027.

Why the government has acted

Local government reorganisation involves abolishing the two-tier system of county and district councils in many areas and replacing it with single unitary authorities responsible for all local services.

Ms Rayner said the review followed fresh legal advice, and that she wanted to satisfy herself that the process was "robust, and complies with the law". She also said any proposals should fit with the new government's priorities on handing power to communities.

Letters setting out the changes were sent to council leaders in the affected areas by Jim McMahon, the Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth, on 7 September, with further letters issued to some councils the following day. Separate letters went to the leaders of councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Surrey and West Sussex, explaining how the review applies to them.

What it means for elections

One immediate consequence is that local elections due in May 2027 will take place using existing council boundaries while the review is carried out. Voters in the areas concerned will therefore elect councillors to the current county and district authorities rather than to any new bodies.

The government has not said whether the councils whose plans were withdrawn will be asked to resubmit proposals, or whether the review could lead to a different model for local government in those areas.

Wider devolution plans

The review comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham pushes ahead with a broader devolution agenda. Earlier this month he offered devolution deals to every region of England, and ministers have promised to set out more detail in a forthcoming white paper, Rewiring the State.

The government said it remained committed to effective local government and would outline further plans through that document.

In a separate announcement, the department confirmed the appointment of Tom Riordan, a former council chief executive who has served as a northern growth envoy, as its new permanent secretary.

What happens next

No end date has been given for the review. Councils in the affected areas will be waiting to learn whether their original proposals will be reinstated, amended or replaced. Until then, existing county and district councils will continue to run services as normal.

Image: Richard Kelly via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0