Nottinghamshire’s planned council shake-up has been paused after Communities Secretary Angela Rayner announced a review of local government reorganisation in the House of Commons today.
The county is among 14 areas where decisions announced in July will be reconsidered. The plans have not been scrapped outright, according to the Government, but Rayner said reorganisation activity should stop while the review takes place, with elections in May 2027 to go ahead on existing council boundaries.
Angela Rayner:
‘We want power in every postcode and places able to set their own ambitions and integrate services to meet people’s needs.
‘Achieving that requires a fundamental rewiring of the state, giving power held by Westminster and Whitehall back to people and places where they live and work.
‘As we set out in the Cabinet statement on rewiring the state, effective and sustainable local government is the vital foundation of our devolution ambitions.
‘As we are now determined more than ever to devolve power closer to the people we represent, it’s only right that, as the new Secretary of State, I make sure that everything we do is working towards that plan to change Britain.
‘The Prime Minister told the House last week he was prepared to look at local government reorganisation, and he asked me, as his Communities Secretary, to do that.
‘Throughout this process, the Government has listened to representations from members of this House, councils and the public. And I want to be clear, Mr Speaker, on how critical this is to me, given how important they are to our democracy and the services they provide for local people.
‘But, Mr Speaker, there will always be a wide range of divergent views, which means achieving perfect consensus will never be possible.
‘I understand that feelings run high, and people naturally have strong views, but in different directions.
‘In that context, in light of legal advice, I want to satisfy myself, firstly, that the right process is in place, that it is robust and, of course, complies with the law.
‘And secondly, I want to fully test whether our proposals for local government reorganisation meet the priorities of the new administration and the new Prime Minister and any additional considerations.
‘With those two considerations in mind, I’ve decided to withdraw the decisions made in March this year for Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk and, where relevant, Mr Speaker, their neighbouring unitary authorities.
‘The Government’s legal representatives have notified the court of this step.
‘I have also decided, Mr Speaker, to conduct a full review of the local government reorganisation programme, including the decisions that were announced in July of this year for a further 14 areas, and those two areas where decisions have not yet been taken, and ask that reorganisation activity be paused.
‘These 14 areas, Mr Speaker, are Derbyshire, Devon, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, and, where relevant, their neighbouring unitary authorities.
‘Mr Speaker, I do not take this lightly. I recognise the huge amount of work that has already gone into progressing reorganisation in each of these areas, and I am very grateful for it.
‘I know that many members of the House and many council leaders outside the House will have lots of questions about what this means for them and their communities. And I will try to address these as best I can today.
‘Firstly, we are working across government on rewiring the state, following [the] Cabinet statement.
‘We recognise that effective and sustainable local government is fundamental to our ambitions for a devolved country which works better for and with communities, and we will consider this issue as part of our wider approach.
‘And secondly, as an immediate step, I have asked the Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth to undertake a rapid review of the current local government reorganisation programme, including the position of the four areas where we’ve withdrawn and the further 14 areas that we are reviewing and pausing, alongside the two remaining areas.
‘New councils, Mr Speaker, for East and West Surrey will be unaffected because they are already established in law, have had their first elections and are on track to go live in April 2027.
‘And thirdly, I want to be clear in terms of what this means for elections scheduled next May.
‘Elections will go ahead in May 2027 on existing council boundaries.
‘Finally, Mr Speaker, my department will provide support to council leaders, officers and members representing impacted areas, and the Minister for Local Government has written to leaders and copied members of this House.
‘I want to [ensure] that all those of you who represent these areas feel fully included in considering their future.
‘And I will update the House at the earliest opportunity.
‘My ministerial team and civil servants from the department are ready, Mr Speaker, to discuss and work with you.
‘My team will proactively reach out to discuss the implications locally, in detail, and my department remains committed to working in partnership with local government, both in this immediate period and in the longer term.
‘And I commend this statement to the House.’
