Councils announce who they want to merge with

Cambridgeshire County Council will no longer exist under the plans

Cambridgeshire councils have confirmed how they would like to be restructured as part of plans to reorganise local government.

Central government said new unitary authorities - which are in charge of all services - must be created to replace the current two-tier system in the region.

Five options were put forward for consideration, and now that councils have submitted their preferences on Friday, a wider consultation is set to be launched in the new year.

Once feedback is gathered from that round, central government is expected to announce its final decision ahead of the parliamentary recess in the summer.

Elections to the new unitary authorities are expected in May 2027, and the new authorities would then go live on 1 April 2028.

Why are councils being re-organised?

When the government made the announcement last year, it said the changes could save £2bn. At the same time, it would streamline services, making it easier for residents to understand who was in charge of services.

In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, seven councils currently deliver services.

The County Council is responsible for some services such as social care, education and highways. District councils are in charge of services such as bin collections and planning applications.

Peterborough already operates as a unitary council; however, the government said all new unitaries should have a population of around 500,000 people.

With a population of just over 220,000, Peterborough is too small to operate on its own under the plans.

Which councils are supporting which options?

Councils have been debating the five options for months, and each authority has submitted its preference.

However, some councillors are not happy and have called for a halt to the plans.

Support was also split between the options, and some councillors abstained from voting.

Option A is the preferred choice for Cambridgeshire County Council

Option A would see two councils created. The first would include Peterborough City Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, and Fenland District Council.

The second unitary council would include Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council

Cambridgeshire County Council is the only authority to back this option. Their official response is headlined as "Two councils. One fairer future."

Liberal Democrat council leader Lucy Nethsingha said she supports it as it "reflects the travel to work corridors, the health and care boundaries, protects the historic identities that matter to our communities, and it has an equal balance of population and financial resources."

Option B would see a 'Greater Cambridge' authority in the south and the rest of the county joined together

Option B would see Peterborough City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council and Huntingdonshire District Councils working as a unitary authority.

Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council would form the other.

This plan is supported by Cambridge City, South Cambridgeshire and East Cambridgeshire District councils.

South Cambridgeshire's Liberal Democrat leader, Bridget Smith, said: "Option B creates two new unitary councils that are the right size to thrive, while being local enough to care."

Cambridge City's Labour Leader, Cameron Holloway, said: "A single council for the fast-growing Greater Cambridge area would help to streamline governance and enable us to better manage the pressures that come with growth."

East Cambridgeshire have said they don't want to be 'overshadowed by Greater Cambridge and become "its overspill building site". Conservative leader Anna Bailey said this option "creates simpler councils, with stronger services – while respecting the unique character of the different districts within the area."

Option C hasn't been supported by any council in Cambridgeshire

Option C would include Peterborough City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council and Fenland District Council as a combined council.

This would leave Cambridge City Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council together. It hasn't been supported by any of the councils.

Option D would see Huntingdonshire split in two

Option D would see three councils created. Peterborough and parts of Huntingdonshire in one. Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire in another. A third council would cover East Cambridgeshire, Fenland and the remaining part of Huntingdonshire.

This option is supported by Peterborough City and Fenland District Councils.

Labour leader Shabina Qayyum said: "This decision has the potential to shape the future governments of our region and must be made with clarity, confidence and collective purpose."

It was also supported by Fenland District Council as the "least bad option".

However, Conservative leader Chris Boden has called on the whole re-organisation process to be halted.

Option E would see Huntingdonshire as a separate local authority

Option E would create three councils. Huntingdonshire would operate as one, Peterborough, Fenland and East Cambridgeshire as a second council, and Cambridge would merge with South Cambridgeshire.

Supported by Huntingdonshire District Council, this option would see the historic county of Huntingdonshire back on the local government map.

Liberal Democrat leader Sarah Conboy said it "provides an opportunity to create councils that are connected to the communities they serve, financially robust, and forward-thinking in how they deliver services".