At a meeting of the Full Council last night (Tuesday 15 July), Newark and Sherwood District Council members approved a step forward in shaping the future of local government.
Following an options appraisal conducted by independent experts PwC UK, councillors agreed to support the submission of a final proposal that would see Newark and Sherwood join with Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Gedling and Mansfield district and borough councils to form one of two unitary councils that cover the whole of Nottinghamshire. This would mean the other unitary council would include Nottingham City, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe.
Deciding on a preferred option follows months of collaborative work between all nine Nottinghamshire councils and is in response to the Government’s request for all areas with two tiers of local government (county council and a district council) to combine and make unitary councils. This process – often referred to as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) – is happening up and down the country and aims to simplify local government and improve service delivery.
In March 2025, Newark and Sherwood District Council endorsed an interim plan outlining three potential options for new unitary authorities. Since then, the analysis from PwC concluded that only two of these options meet the Government’s criteria, with marginal differences between them. The other viable option presented was to switch Rushcliffe and Gedling’s place within the two unitary councils.
Councillor Paul Peacock, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “We’ve taken this decision after careful consideration and with the support of independent analysis. The differences between the two leading options are marginal, but on balance, it was considered that our preferred option brought together local communities that had most in common and represented a sensible north/south arrangement between the two new unitary councils.
“We will ensure residents are kept informed throughout the process and they remain at the heart of any proposal we support and the services we continue to deliver.”
As part of its preferred option, the District Council will also propose a boundary adjustment to include the whole of the Newark Parliamentary Constituency within this new authority, to better reflect community identity and ensure more logical and effective governance.
The next stage will involve the development of final proposals for submission to Government by 28 November 2025. It is likely that Newark and Sherwood’s preferred option will not be the only one that is submitted.
