Plans for single Gloucestershire authority confirmed
Gloucestershire is one of five counties to have had local government reorganisation plans confirmed by the government
Last updated 29th Oct 2026
Plans for a single authority to run all local services in Gloucestershire have moved a step closer.
Gloucestershire is one of five counties to have had local government reorganisation plans confirmed by the government today (29 October).
The others are East Sussex, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Local government minister Jim McMahon told MPs ministers had found the original criteria for the reorganisations to be robust, following a review.
Councils and other bodies can give further feedback on the plans over the next three weeks.
McMahon said: "These decisions are for the same council structure that were previously announced in July, but they are new decisions following full and thorough considerations."
The policy is part of the Government’s flagship local government policy announced by Sir Keir Starmer’s government and aims to replace two-tier council systems with one unitary body responsible for all local services.
Decisions on nine other areas, including Devon, will be referred for legal clarity, while the remaining 15 areas will be reviewed further.
McMahon said: "I commit to coming back to the House with updates for another set of areas by Christmas, and every area will have an outcome by early next year."
Local elections will go ahead in May 2027 on existing council boundaries.
Elections for the new councils will follow in May 2028, with those councils coming into force in April 2029.
In a joint statement, the leaders of Gloucestershire’s seven councils, said: “We welcome the clarity that this latest update brings.
“Over the last eight weeks, while the Government has undertaken its initial review, we have been mindful of the different potential outcomes. As such, some essential programme activity has continued, while activities directly linked to implementation of a future local government structure have been paused.
“We are grateful to officers working across our councils for their diligent work on this, which has put our area in good stead to move forward.
“While this announcement provides some additional clarity on timing, we will now need to consider the implications of the extended timetable on the programme of work to deliver a new council for Gloucestershire, and the implications on the seven existing councils.
“This delay has consequences. Our councils are already facing extremely difficult financial choices. The government must meet the costs of LGR that we are incurring, including costs caused by an extended timeline.
“We have also been told over the last couple of years that devolution was the prize for going through LGR, yet Gloucestershire was not included in the Government’s Budget announcements yesterday.
"We cannot allow Gloucestershire to become the forgotten county when it comes to devolution and the benefits it will bring for our residents and businesses, and we will continue to lobby for a devolution deal for our county.”