West Bridgford and Arnold to join enlarged Nottingham council under government shake-up.
West Bridgford, Arnold, Beeston and other communities surrounding Nottingham are set to come under a new enlarged city-based council following a government decision on the future structure of local government across the county.
Ministers are due to confirm on Thursday, July 16, that they have selected a proposal that will redraw council boundaries across parts of Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe.
The changes will determine which local authority is responsible for services such as social care, roads, planning, waste collection, housing and council tax. Parliamentary constituency boundaries will not be altered as part of the process.
The reorganisation will replace Nottinghamshire’s existing combination of county, city, borough and district councils with two larger unitary authorities, each responsible for delivering the full range of council services in its area.
Nottinghamshire currently has nine principal councils: Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and the seven district and borough authorities of Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood, and Rushcliffe.
All nine are expected to be abolished under the restructuring and replaced by the two new councils.
Three competing models were submitted to the government after council leaders failed to reach agreement over where the dividing line between the new authorities should be drawn.
Each proposal involved extending the area governed alongside Nottingham, although they differed significantly over which surrounding communities would be included.
One model would have combined the city with the whole of Broxtowe and Rushcliffe, while another proposed bringing all of Broxtowe and Gedling into the Nottingham authority.
Ministers have instead chosen the boundary-review proposal put forward by Nottingham City Council. Unlike the other options, it divides the existing boroughs of Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe between the two replacement authorities.
Under the plans, the more urban communities closest to Nottingham, including West Bridgford and Arnold, will become part of the new city-based unitary council.
The remaining parts of Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe will join Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Mansfield and Newark and Sherwood in a second authority covering the rest of Nottinghamshire.
Senior council representatives were informed of the government’s decision during a meeting at 9.30am on Thursday, ahead of a public announcement expected at around 11am.
The decision marks a significant step in the government’s local government reorganisation programme, which is intended to remove the two-tier arrangement under which responsibilities are divided between Nottinghamshire County Council and the district and borough councils.
Existing authorities will continue operating while legislation and transitional arrangements are prepared.
Elections to the two replacement councils are expected to take place in May 2027. Those elected will initially serve on shadow authorities responsible for preparing budgets, staffing structures and service arrangements for the new organisations.
Powers and responsibilities will then be transferred from the existing councils during the following year, with the two new unitary authorities expected to take full control in 2028.
