The Government has made it clear it wants to move away from ‘two tier’ local government, so plans are being drawn up to create one council for Leicestershire (excluding Rutland and Leicester City), forging stronger links with communities, reducing duplication and simplifying local government.
Deborah Taylor, acting leader of Leicestershire County Council explains our 'one council for Leicestershire' proposal:
Benefits
Bringing together eight councils into one single body would:
- Save around £30 million, every year - through fewer managers, chief executives and councillors.
- Enable savings - to be reinvested in front line services
- Make it easier to get support - by giving residents clear and simple access to all services, whether by phone, online, or through local area committees.
- Future-proof services – protecting the support residents depend on at a time when local government is facing spiralling costs.
- Improve support for vulnerable people – by joining up health, social care and housing services.
- Give communities a stronger voice – local area committees would have greater influence over decision-making.
- Boost accountability – reducing confusion over who is responsible for what.
Timescales
Initial proposals need to be submitted by 21 March with a more detailed plan completed by November.
What it could mean for residents
- One set of rules for recycling - wherever you live or work
- The right support in one place - no need to call a number of different councils
- Road sign query? Get it sorted by calling one team - not the different councils responsible for different signs
- Better support for vulnerable people - by joining up health, social care and housing services
- A countywide leisure pass - offering access to centres across Leicestershire
- One system for benefits and Council Tax collection
- One ‘local plan’ - making sure development is in the right place and it easier to secure investment from housing developers to pay for roads, schools and other vital infrastructure
- A joint trading standards and environmental health team - making it easier for businesses
- Strong local voices - councillors championing your local community and batting for you on every issue, from planning to social care
Feedback
We are asking for initial feedback, before our interim plan is sent to the Government.
Please complete the feedback form.
Frequently asked questions
What is Local Government reorganisation?
In December 2024, the Government published the English Devolution White Paper. This made it clear that the Government wants to move away from ‘two tier’ local government, like Leicestershire and expects all county councils, district councils and neighbouring unitary councils (in this case, Leicester City and Rutland) to work up proposals for change.
Reorganisation needs to be agreed before there can be agreed devolution of powers and responsibilities to Leicestershire, (Leicester and Rutland) from the Government.
What benefits could it bring?
This is an opportunity to improve services for our residents, save money, simplify a confusing system and protect front-line services - and has been a goal for a number of years.
This is the right time for change. It could unlock devolved powers and funding - giving us more money to fix roads and other services our residents value, plus new powers to coordinate planning and join-up transport.
Has this been tried before?
Reorganisation has been talked about in the past. In 2019 a business case was developed to show how much money could be saved from having one unitary council for Leicestershire.
It is well known that Leicestershire has been frustrated in trying to achieve any devolution of powers and responsibilities, a frustration which has been shared by MPs and district councils.
Is it a takeover of the district councils?
It’s not a takeover by the County Council of district councils – it’s about establishing a new unitary structure and is what the Government is asking us to do.
What’s happening to Leicester City and Rutland?
Leicester and Rutland are not included in the county council's proposals.
If councils are changing, why are your elections going ahead?
The Government turned down our request to postpone this spring’s elections. It will be a few years before the new arrangements are in place so we need to keep delivering for residents until that point.
How does having one council save money?
By reducing senior management, support staff, councillors and elections. You also save money by having single services. For example, at the moment, in the county we have seven different waste collection systems with a different council then having to dispose of the waste.
I live miles from County Hall – wouldn’t one council be more remote?
No – we already provide services in local areas 24/7, including social care in people’s homes, and you can’t get more local than that. Having one council doesn’t change where services are delivered from. More decisions would be delegated to local areas, particularly to new town councils in market towns.
Can I have my say?
Yes – please tell us what’s important to you by completing our short feedback form. A bigger consultation is also planned later in the year.
Isn’t having two unitary councils for Leicestershire a better option?
Objectively it's difficult to see how. Creating one council generates the most savings by far. Other options don’t add up. Two unitary councils with two sets of everything – from senior managers and waste collection systems to leisure centre memberships and social care set ups. This would be time consuming and disruptive to set-up.
What’s happening next?
The Government has asked for an interim plan to be submitted by 21 March 2025.
A bigger consultation will then take place and more detailed proposals will be submitted in the autumn.
How can I keep in touch with updates?
You can register for regular updates from the council.
Glossary of terms
English Devolution White Paper
White papers are policy documents produced by the Government that set out their proposals for future laws.
'Two tier’ local government
In some areas, there are two levels of councils: county and district. This is known as ‘two-tier local government’. There are 21 such areas left in England.
In these areas, the county is responsible for things like ensuring there are enough schools, adult social care, disposal of waste, and looking after roads. But there is a different council, serving a smaller geographical area, responsible for things like collecting rubbish, cleaning streets, local parks, housing, and benefits.
Unitary council
In a unitary area there is just one council responsible for all services. Usually, cities are unitary, but recently several counties have become unitary, e.g., Cornwall, North Yorkshire, Durham and Buckinghamshire.
Devolution / devolved powers
Devolution means taking powers away from central government and giving it to more local areas.
The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly are examples of devolved powers.
Powers have also been given to more local areas like Greater London, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands. This gives that area a bigger say in what happens and more spending power.