2019–2023 structural changes to local government in England

Dorset before (left) and after (right) the 2019 structural changes

• Status: Completed

On 1 April 2019, the ceremonial county of Dorset was changed from consisting of a non-metropolitan county (itself divided into six non-metropolitan districts) and two unitary authorities, into consisting of two unitary authorities.[2][3] The new unitary authorities in Dorset are:

• Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, consisting of the old unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole as well as the non-metropolitan district of Christchurch
• Dorset Council, which merged the five remaining non-metropolitan districts of East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, West Dorset, and Weymouth and Portland, as well as the former county council

Charter trustees were established for Bournemouth and for Poole as a consequence.[2] For details of the inaugural elections to the new councils, see 2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election and 2019 Dorset Council election.

• Status: Completed

On 1 April 2019, the number of districts in the non-metropolitan county of Somerset was reduced from five to four, when Taunton Deane and West Somerset were merged as Somerset West and Taunton. This new district is not a unitary authority, and the two-tier structure of county and district councils remains in place.

Charter trustees were established for Taunton as a consequence.[2] The inaugural election took place in 2019.

• Status: Completed

On 1 April 2019, the number of districts in Suffolk was reduced from seven to five. West Suffolk was created by merging Forest Heath and St Edmundsbury. East Suffolk was created by merging Suffolk Coastal and Waveney. These new districts are not unitary authorities, and the two-tier structure of county and district councils remains in place.

For details of the inaugural elections to the new councils, see 2019 East Suffolk District Council election and 2019 West Suffolk District Council election.

Buckinghamshire before (left) and
after (right) the 2020 structural changes

• Status: Completed

The existing Buckinghamshire County Council and the non-metropolitan districts of Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks, and Wycombe in Buckinghamshire was replaced by a single unitary authority known as Buckinghamshire Council on 1 April 2020. This plan was proposed by Martin Tett, leader of the county council, and backed by then-Communities Secretary James Brokenshire. It received approval from Parliament in May 2019.[4][5] The existing unitary authority of Milton Keynes was not affected; since 1 April 2020, the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire has therefore been composed of two unitary authorities.

Before this was approved by Parliament, the district councils had proposed a different plan in which Aylesbury Vale would become a unitary authority and the three southern districts would become another unitary authority. The district councils opposed the single unitary Buckinghamshire plan, and considered legal action against it.[6]

For details of the inaugural elections to the new council, see 2021 Buckinghamshire Council election.

Northamptonshire before (left) and after (right) the 2021 structural changes

• Status: Completed

On 1 April 2021, the non-metropolitan county of Northamptonshire and its seven districts were abolished, and two new unitary authorities were created:[7]

• North Northamptonshire, consisting of the old non-metropolitan districts of Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, and Wellingborough
• West Northamptonshire, consisting of the old non-metropolitan districts of Daventry, Northampton, and South Northamptonshire

The Conservative national government proposed the changes in Northamptonshire as a cost saving measure, as the Conservative-led county council had been experiencing financial difficulty. The joint committee for West Northamptonshire claimed that the changes would save 85 million pounds per year.[8][9] The Northamptonshire (Structural Change) Order 2019 (SCO) was brought before Parliament in October 2019, but due to the dissolution of Parliament on 6 November leading up to the general election on 12 December 2019, the changes were not then given final approval.[10] Parliament went on Christmas break after the election, and the Order was eventually made on 14 February 2020.

For details of the inaugural elections to the new councils, see 2021 North Northamptonshire Council election and 2021 West Northamptonshire Council election.

Current districts of Cumbria

In October 2020, the UK government invited proposals for reform of arrangements in Cumbria by 2023.[11] Currently, the area is served by the Cumbria County Council, as well as six non-metropolitan district councils.[12]

Barrow Borough Council and South Lakeland District Council (in Cumbria) and Lancaster City Council (in Lancashire) proposed in 2020 to merge themselves into a Morecambe Bay unitary authority.[13]

The idea of a Morecambe Bay authority has been proposed several times previously. If the Redcliffe-Maud Report had been implemented, Furness & North Lancashire would have been one of the unitary authorities within the North West Province. Before the unsuccessful 2004 North East England devolution referendum, when similar referendums were also planned in North West England and Yorkshire and the Humber, one proposed structure below the region level in North West England would have created a Morecambe Bay unitary authority, with the rest of Cumbria and Lancashire being divided into more unitary authorities.

In July 2021, local government minister Robert Jenrick approved plans for two new unitary authorities in Cumbria, Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland. Parliamentary approval would be sought around the end of 2021, with the intention of holding elections for the new councils in May 2022 and the councils going live in April 2023.[14] The names for the proposed new authorities were announced on November 2021.[15][16][17]

The proposed new unitary authorities in Cumbria are:[14]

• Cumberland – Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland
• Westmorland and Furness – Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland

Current districts of North Yorkshire

In October 2020, the UK government invited proposals for reform of arrangements in North Yorkshire by 2023.[18] Later that year, North Yorkshire County Council proposed a unitary authority to replace existing non-metropolitan districts[19] (but not the City of York, which is already a separate unitary authority).

Around the same time, the districts of Craven, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby submitted a proposal for an "East & West model" of two unitary councils in North Yorkshire. The two new councils for North Yorkshire and York would cover Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby and York in the east, and Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate and Richmondshire in the west.[20]

In July 2021, local government minister Robert Jenrick approved plans for a single unitary authority for North Yorkshire. Parliamentary approval would be sought around the end of 2021, with the intention of holding elections for the new councils in May 2022 and the councils going live in April 2023.[14]

Changes in Somerset have been under consideration since at least 2018.[21] The existing unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset are not affected by any of these proposals. In October 2020, the UK government invited proposals for reform of arrangements in Somerset by 2023.[11] There were two rival proposals: a single unitary council, or two unitary councils (east and west).[22]

In 2020, Somerset County Council submitted a proposal known as "One Somerset" to the Government. Under this plan, the county council and the four non-metropolitan districts of Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton and South Somerset would be replaced by a single unitary authority.[23][24] This proposal was approved by the Secretary of State in July 2021.[25]

The four district councils had created a rival proposal, known as "Stronger Somerset", where the county and district councils would be replaced by two unitary authorities. Mendip and South Somerset would be merged to create Eastern Somerset, while Sedgemoor and Somerset West and Taunton would be merged to create Western Somerset. The district councils argued that a single authority would be too far removed from the citizens, and said that forming two instead of one would help save £204 million.[26] District councillors agreed to this plan in August 2020,[27][28][29] and a poll organised by the district councils in May 2021 found 65% support for the Stronger Somerset proposal.[25]

In July 2021, local government minister Robert Jenrick approved plans for a single unitary authority for Somerset, i.e. the "One Somerset" proposal. Parliamentary approval would be sought around the end of 2021, with the intention of holding elections for the new councils in May 2022 and the councils going live in April 2023.[14]

In Kent in 2017, Dover, Thanet, Shepway, and Canterbury councils proposed a four-way merger in 2020.[30]

In 2020-21, Lancashire County Council leader, Geoff Diver mentioned that the council was in talks to abolish the existing 15 district and borough councils in the county. In place of the already existing districts and boroughs, they proposed creating three new unitary authorities which would also include Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. He suggested one unitary authority called "Central Lancashire" could be formed to cover the pre-existing new town proposal which would have included the Borough of Chorley, South Ribble, Preston and West Lancashire. Another is called "North West Lancashire" which would cover the City of Lancaster, Fylde, Wyre, Blackpool, and Ribble Valley. And the other one would be called "East Pennine Lancashire" which covers the Borough of Burnley, Pendle, Hyndburn, Rossendale and Blackburn with Darwen. However, these have not been so far reviewed by the government. [31]

Other unitary authority proposals around the county included a new unitary authority covering the aforementioned "Central Lancashire", however the councils snuffed Preston City Council from being a part of the proposal. [32][33][34]

In 2021, the government and Lancashire County Council rejected a proposal put forward by the councils of the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, South Lakeland and City of Lancaster to form a new unitary authority covering part of the historical county of Lancashire which included the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness and parts of South Lakeland. This would have placed parts of Cumbria back into Lancashire and would have meant it gained the towns of Ambleside, Bowness-on-Windmere, Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, Windmere, and Sedbergh which were part of Westmorland and the West Riding of Yorkshire. [35][36]

Proposals for unitary authorities continue as of 2021. [37]

In 2021, the Borough of Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland councils proposed a merger to form a new unitary authority. [38] The talk of reorganising Lincolnshire has come under criticism and proposals and planning is still ongoing [39]