The Government’s English Devolution White Paper in December 2024, confirmed the Government’s vision for local government reorganisation and Mayoral Strategic Authorities.
In February 2025 the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon MP, wrote to all local authority two-tier areas to develop proposals for unitary local government.
The letter requested that councils produce interim plans to be submitted to government by Friday 21st March 2025, setting out how their respective areas would replace district-level authorities into new, larger unitary authorities.
It was confirmed via a Ministerial Statement on the 24th March 2025, that all 21 areas invited had provided a response. Over the next few months, it is expected that the Government will provide feedback on the interim plans.
Local authorities accepted onto the Government’s fast-track Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) have until 26th September 2025 to submit final proposals. Authorities that were in unsuccessful in their bid to join the Government’s fast-track programme have until 28th November 2025 to submit their final plans.
The Government will then formally consider these proposals and provide a decision by Spring 2026. Elections to both newly formed Councils and for new Mayors for each Combined Authority area are set to take place between 2026 and 2028.
In this blog, we look at the state of play in those areas in the South of England where local government reorganisation plans are taking shape.
Hampshire & Solent Region
Hampshire is the most complicated part of the country to reorganise, and will likely be the most expensive to deliver. Local authorities in Hampshire have not yet achieved consensus, with rival options emerging. Hampshire was successful in their bid to join the DPP and so have until 26th September to submit final plans.
The one aspect that all council leaders agree upon is that the Isle of Wight should remain independent (while part of the wider Hampshire and the Solent Combined Authority), despite it falling short of the Government’s minimum population target of 500,000. In March, all 15 councils set out a broad set of principles with which they could all agree, which set out a desire for financial sustainability and community representation, but nothing more tangible.
The 15 councils have now split into two rival camps. A Hampshire Coalition of 13 authorities is pushing for a 4-unitary option on the “Hampshire mainland” – that group features all of the councils except Hampshire County Council and East Hampshire District Council. Those two councils are pushing for a 3-unitary model. This is becoming quite intense in private, occasionally spilling out in council meetings.
Both options would deliver a “Greater Southampton” and “Greater Portsmouth” – with Southampton joining Eastleigh on the one hand and then Fareham, Gosport, and Havant joining Portsmouth on the other. The contest comes about what happens north of the Solent, where the County would prefer to take everything else.
On the other hand, the Hampshire Coalition of 13 authorities believes that this would be too large and monolithic, so is keen to split the world north of the Solent into two, with Basingstoke, Hart and Rushmoor forming a North Hampshire Council, and the remainder forming a Mid Hampshire Council. Basingstoke and Deane is the only council to put this publicly, agreeing a North Hampshire Council in principle via a cross-party vote.
Essex
The majority of council leaders have supported the principal of establishing five new unitary authorities in Essex. Essex was successful in joining the DPP and so has until 26th September 2025 to submit final proposals.
These new authorities include one in the north, consisting of Braintree, Colchester and Tendring; one for Uttlesford, Harlow and Epping Forest; one to cover Brentwood, Chelmsford and Maldon; one that includes Basildon and Thurrock; and finally one for Rochford, Castle Point and Southend-on-Sea.
Kent
Kent and Medway missed out on being part of the Devolution Priority Programme earlier this year, with a joint bid from Kent County Council and Medway Council rejected by the Government. The Minister of State has confirmed that Kent and Medway have until 28th November 2025 to submit their finalised proposals.
Despite all 14 Kent council leaders supporting the principal of reorganisation, there is no concrete plan for how this will look. It is likely that a future Kent & Medway combined authority will comprise of three or four new unitaries with further plans expected within the coming months. It is also likely that there will be new town / parish councils, where these currently do not exist.
Norfolk & Suffolk
Stark divisions have emerged in both Norfolk and Suffolk between what the county authorities will submit as their interim plans, single unitary authorities for each county and the respective districts whose submissions advocate smaller authorities.
The latest development has seen two of the region’s Labour MPs advocating for a model with three unitary authorities, split into east, west, and expanded urban authorities for Norwich and Ipswich.
However, as none of the proposed models meet MHCLG’s minimum population requirements, it’s anyone’s guess how this region will move forward. As they have been accepted onto the DPP, they have until 26th September 2025 to submit final proposals to Government.
Cambridgeshire
A joint letter signed by the leaders of six of Cambridgeshire’s seven local authorities (including county) to Jim McMahon MP has outlined that they are “not currently in a position to respond to all the points raised in your letter in the time available”; in other words, they are not ready to submit an interim proposal.
With final proposals not due until the 28th November 2025, it is expected that more detailed discussions will take place over the next few months.
Surrey
Surrey is on a fast-track for local government reoganisation with an accelerated timescale to submit final proposals by 9th May 2025.
The 11 Boroughs and Districts are at loggerheads with the County Council, with both sides submitting rival submission documents to the MHCLG. The County is advocating two unitaries of approximately 600,000 people in each, while the Boroughs and Districts have submitted a dossier making the case for three unitaries, each with approximately 400,000 people. While all but one of the Boroughs and Districts are in the hands of the Liberal Democrats and/or Independents, it is notable that Labour Councillors across Surrey favour three unitaries. If Labour councillors and Constituency Labour Parties from across Surrey vocalise their position via their own political representations to MHCLG, it may be the case that Conservative controlled Surrey County Council does not necessarily get its way.
Both reorganisation proposals concede the fundamental principle that the County will most likely be divided primarily as East and West, though the Boroughs and Districts have proposed that the North West area abutting Greater London would more naturally form a separate suburban unitary council area.
To further complicate matters, the Conservative Leader of Reigate & Banstead has issued a joint letter with Labour controlled Crawley Borough in West Sussex, proposing a joint cross-border unitary centred on the economic area surrounding Gatwick Airport. This is unlikely to succeed owing to the need to align unitary councils with the future Combined County Authority boundaries for Sussex and Surrey. It would also leave the Tandridge district of Surrey isolated from the rest of whatever Surrey unitary it forms part of.
Sussex and Brighton & Hove
In Sussex, the three top tier councils are all fighting for their own vision for the area, which rival proposals from East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove.
East Sussex County Council’s interim plan, which is supported by the five district and borough councils within it, calls for a single unitary authority to cover all of East Sussex.
Brighton & Hove’s proposal would see a total of five unitary authorities across Sussex (covering West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton & Hove), with Brighton & Hove continuing to exist with its current footprint, or expanding to take in additional population from neighbouring authorities.
Meanwhile, West Sussex County Council’s interim plan states that the leaders of councils in West Sussex have agreed on two potential options: a large single unitary covering all of West Sussex, or two smaller unitaries, the footprints of which are still to be determined.
The Council has stated that their options are based on the assumptions that Brighton & Hove will only have marginal changes to its footprint and that East Sussex County Council has a strong preference for a single unitary for its county.
WSCC has stated that “should Brighton & Hove stay the same size, there is an impact on the design of the future Combined Authority and the need to have a balanced set of unitaries in order to have sensible representation”, indicating that WSCC may be inclined to pursue the option with two unitaries to keep populations per unitary more balanced across Sussex.
WSCC also notes that Crawley is considering pursuing LGR with Reigate & Banstead in Surrey, which would also have an impact on how West Sussex proceeds with its LGR proposals.
Both West and East Sussex, together with Brighton & Hove were successful in joining the DPP and therefore have until 26th September 2025 to submit final proposals.
Oxfordshire & Berkshire
Oxfordshire County Council plans to propose a new mayoral authority covering Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. It also advocates for a single unitary council for Oxfordshire, which could save taxpayers £27m annually.
However, some district councils prefer multiple councils within Oxfordshire. West Berkshire, South Oxfordshire, and Vale of White Horse have suggested forming a new authority together, due to their demographic and economic similarities. Oxford City Council’s leader, Susan Brown, supports separate councils for different regions of Oxfordshire and West Berkshire to reflect distinct geographies.
Oxfordshire did not join the DPP and so have until 28th November to submit final proposals.
Hertfordshire
The County Council advocates a single unitary authority for Hertfordshire, encompassing the entire county. This model aims to streamline governance, reduce duplication, and enhance strategic planning and service delivery. However, nine out of ten District and Borough Councils do not support this proposal, citing concerns about scale, complexity, and democratic representation.
Therefore, all councils have agreed to further explore models involving two, three, or four unitary authorities, splitting the county in various ways aligning to geography (East and West) or by with economic areas and transport corridors (three or four).
Overall, Hertfordshire’s approach to LGR is characterised by a collaborative effort between the ten district-level authorities to balance efficiency, local engagement, and strategic planning, with the aim of creating a sustainable and responsive local government structure – they have until 28th November to submit final proposals.
Devon
Devon County Council have submitted five potential options for reorganisation, that have sought to work upon existing boundaries, with an emphasis on a ‘putting residents first model.’
It is clear that, at the moment, there is no overriding consensus between the 11 authorities in Devon, so therefore the picture still remains uncertain at this stage.
The five options currently being considered comprise of:
- A two unitary model for Plymouth and Devon (with Plymouth remaining on existing boundaries, with the rest of the authorities forming to create a wider Devon authority.
- A two unitary model based on the North and South area of Devon.
- A two unitary model based on South West Devon and North East Devon.
- A three unitary model based on Plymouth (to remain on existing boundaries), Greater Exeter (to include Exeter, East Devon and Mid Devon), and the remaining authorities to form a Devon authority (Torbay, Teignbridge, North Devon, Torridge, South Hams and West Devon).
- A three unitary model based on Plymouth (to remain the same), North East Devon and South West Devon.
Devon did not join the DPP and so therefore have until 28th November 2025 to submit final proposals.
Cavendish is following this work closely, and can help you to keep on top of what’s happening in your area. Don’t hesitate to get in touch, if we can help.
