Nottinghamshire County Council is to debate a motion calling for work on local government reorganisation to be suspended, amid concern over possible changes to the structure of councils across Nottinghamshire and Nottingham.
The motion, titled “Suspend all work on Local Government Reorganisation”, is due to be considered at a full council meeting on 9 July 2026. It has been proposed by Councillor Teresa Cullen and seconded by Councillor John Wilmott.
Local government reorganisation, often referred to as LGR, is the process through which existing councils could be abolished and replaced with new unitary authorities responsible for all local services in their areas. In Nottinghamshire, the issue is particularly significant because any changes could affect the future roles of the county council, district and borough councils, and Nottingham City Council.
The motion refers to Norfolk County Council, where the political leadership has ordered officials to halt work on the Government’s local government reorganisation programme. It says the Norfolk authority has made stopping LGR one of its priorities, arguing that it is a waste of money and of no benefit to residents.
According to the motion, Norfolk has a population of 940,000 and Nottinghamshire, including Nottingham, has a population of 1.19 million. It states that Norfolk bid for three councils, while Nottingham and Nottinghamshire bid for two councils.
The motion says it appears the Government has moved the “goalposts” by reducing the optimum population for each new council from 500,000 to 350,000. It says the Government has made decisions on council sizes outside the target of 500,000 or more people for new unitary councils, as set out in invitation letters, without further consultation.
It also says the council believes the Government has not made a significant needs-based case for such a widespread reorganisation, and that any imposed proposal would cause “significant and unacceptable disruption and expense”, particularly while councils are under severe financial strain.
If approved, the motion would put Nottinghamshire County Council on record as believing that work on LGR should be paused until a needs-based assessment has been carried out. It specifically says the process should not be rushed if it would mean residents of Broxtowe, Gedling and/or Rushcliffe being pushed into what the motion describes as a forced merger with Nottingham City Council.
The practical effect of the motion, if passed, would be for the county council to write to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The letter would call on the Government to halt its local government reorganisation project until a comprehensive needs-based assessment for reorganisation has been completed, including halting work currently being carried out by local councils.
No decision has yet been made by Nottinghamshire County Council on the motion. Councillors will debate it at the full council meeting on 9 July, when they will decide whether to support the proposed call for work on local government reorganisation to be suspended.
Conservative Leader of the Opposition, Cllr Sam Smith, said his group will be wholeheartedly supporting the motion to suspend work on Local Government Reorganisation
“The Labour Government have moved the goal posts by changing the criteria for the makeup of new Councils after hundreds of thousands of taxpayers pounds have been wasted drawing up proposals to meet the now pointless criteria, risking public services. In 2025, we Conservatives called for the process to stop and new proposals drawn up that better meet local needs. This must now be done.”