Gloucestershire County Council signals support for single unitary proposal

Published

13.11.2025

A vote taken at yesterday’s meeting of the county council marks a major step towards the biggest change in local government for more than 50 years.

County Councillors debated two proposals for the future structure of local government in the county that have been developed collaboratively by all seven councils:

• A single unitary council for the whole of Gloucestershire
• Two unitary councils: one covering the east (Cheltenham, Cotswold, Tewkesbury) and one covering the west (Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Stroud)

At the end of the debate, councillors were asked to indicate their preferred proposal. The result was:

• One unitary council – 38 votes
• Two unitary councils – 4 votes
• Abstentions – 10 votes

This is a significant milestone, but not the final decision. Today’s non-binding vote will be considered by Cabinet next Wednesday, when it will agree which proposal to formally submit to Government by 28 November.

Lisa Spivey, leader of the Council said: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a structure that works for residents and communities across Gloucestershire. The outcome will represent the biggest change to local government in around 50 years, shaping how services are delivered for decades to come. Whilst change of this scale can feel unsettling, we remain focused on delivering the services residents rely on whilst and preparing for the future.”

The ‘Greater Gloucester’ proposal, developed by Gloucester City Council, was not debated today because its business case was published too late to allow the same level of review and due diligence as had been carried out on the other two proposals.

The Government will consult early next year on all submitted proposals that meet its criteria and is expected to make a final decision in the summer.

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