Gloucestershire council shake-up: 6 key take aways

One or two councils for the county? The decision is the biggest in a generation

Gloucestershire is on the cusp of the biggest change to its local councils in a generation.

Final plans on how the county's services could be run in the future have been submitted to the government.

And now it is a waiting game to see what will happen.

Here is what we know so far.

1. The context

Last year the government announced it wanted to abolish all of the district and county councils in England and replace them with larger unitary or "super councils". These new authorities will run all local government services such as waste collection, planning departments and road maintenance among others.

In Gloucestershire it means getting rid of the six local districts (Stroud, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean) and the county council.

Three proposals on what could replace the current system have been submitted to Whitehall, including the creation of a single unitary authority, an East/West split and the Greater Gloucester model.

The government has said the new unitary councils must save money and have a minimum population of 500,000 residents.

2. The options

Independent reports have been created for each of the three ideas, weighing up financial modelling and service outcomes.

Here are the most significant details.

The single unitary – This would see the creation of just one council to cover the whole county and include 110 councillors.

Supporters say this is the most financially effective option as it would cost £21.3m to create and produce savings of £164m after ten years, while also keeping key services coterminous.

Critics say residents might feel removed from decision making under this proposal, and there are concerns this model could unfairly centralise council processes in either Gloucester or Cheltenham.

The East/West split – This idea would involve making two unitary councils, one for the east of the county - comprising on Cheltenham, Cotswolds and Tewkesbury - and one for the west – taking in Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean. In total the county would again have 110 councillors, 48 in the east and 52 in the west.

Supporters say this option would allow for the greater targeting of money and resources where they are needed most, and it would make residents feel better represented and more connected to their local areas.

But critics have taken aim at the finances and logistical impact of the idea. If rolled out the east council would start with a £20.5m surplus, compared to a £23.3m deficit for the west authority, which some say would create a rich/poor divide. It would cost £30.1m to set up the two councils, with £54.8m of savings after ten years.

This model would also require the doubling of key positions, such as heads of Adult Social Care and Children's Services departments, and the creation of a separate fire authority which is currently run through the county council.

If the East/West split is adopted, Rodborough would sit within the western council

The Greater Gloucester – This proposal would see the launch of one council to cover Gloucester and the surrounding parishes, and a second to take on the rest of the county. The pair would have a total of 133 councillors, 52 for the Gloucester council and 81 for the wider authority.

The set up costs would total £45m and it would save £89m over ten years.

Those in favour of this model say Gloucester has existed for more than two thousand years and requires dedicated decision making powers. They argue the city has specific needs which could be better targeted through its own authority and the rest of the county is much more aligned when it comes to service requirements.

Critics say a Gloucester unitary would be too small, and that it is a very "selfish", city-focused, approach. It would also encounter the same logistical issues raised with the East/West proposal.

3. The votes

Each of Gloucestershire's seven councils were able to put forward one preferred proposal to central government.

The county's 295 councillors debated for more than 15 hours in total before casting their votes.

In the end the single unitary model gained the most support, with four councils submitting it as their preferred option including, Gloucestershire County Council, Stroud District Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council and Cotswold District Council.

Cheltenham Borough Council backed the East/West Split and Gloucester City Council opted for the Greater Gloucester model.

Councillors on Forest of Dean District Council decided they did not like any of the three options and have stated this in a letter to government.

4. The language

Each proposal unsurprisingly had its champions and critics, prompting some imaginative put-downs.

These were the most memorable…

Of the Greater Gloucester model: "This doughnut is the worst idea ever baked in British politics.

"It's got as much structural integrity as a piece of Ikea furniture", said Independent Alastair Chambers at the Gloucester City Council debate.

Liberal Democrat councillor Stewart Dove said: "It is weird and we don't want to be led by weirdos," on the East/West split at the Tewkesbury Borough Council meeting.

And on the single unitary proposal, Cheltenham Borough Council's Liberal Democrat councillor, Alisha Lewis, said: "Kills local growth, kills local government, and kills local connection."

The three options have been causing political angst across Gloucestershire

5. The politics

As with all significant local government changes, the politics of the details have been knotty.

Gloucestershire's Labour group has had a clear and unanimous preference for the East/West model throughout the process so far.

The Conservatives have almost entirely backed the single unitary council, with just one abstaining and one voting for none of the options.

Both the Reform and Green groups have largely and begrudgingly backed the single option, with each saying they would prefer to keep the current county and district model as they feel it is more democratic.

There were a few councillors who splintered from this position, most notably the Greens in the Forest of Dean.

But it is the county's Liberal Democrats who have been the most fractured when it comes to decision making.

In Stroud, Tewkesbury, Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and on the county council, the consensus has been to back a single unitary.

In Cheltenham the group has forcefully pushed the East/West split, going as far as to commission its own report on the option.

The tight group in Gloucester were the only ones to back the Greater Gloucester model, which has suffered a significant lack of support from any other council or group in the county.

In fact, the proposal only attracted 17 out of 295 votes, all of which came from Gloucester City Council.

6. The timeline

As reorganisation processes go, this one is continuing at pace.

In the spring the government will launch a consultation on the three models.

It is important to note this is not a referendum on which option residents prefer, rather a way of gathering feedback.

The government has the final say as to which model is rolled out, and it alone will make that decision. This should be revealed to the county in the summer.

Shadow elections are due to be held in May 2027, whereby councillors will be voted in to oversee the set up of the new councils alongside the continuing running of the seven existing councils.

Full elections are then scheduled for May 2028, when the new council/s will come in to being and the seven old authorities will be scrapped.

Of course a health warning is needed, as with most large projects these timescales might be subject to change!