Tewkesbury Borough Council backs single unitary authority for Gloucestershire

Tewkesbury Borough Council has voted to support the creation of a single unitary authority for Gloucestershire, following a meeting of Council held on Tuesday, 18 November.

While the final decision rests with central government, this marks the next step in the Gloucestershire’s journey towards Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and devolution – a government-led national initiative that aims to simplify local government structures and bring decision-making closer to communities.

The endorsed proposal would replace the current two-tier system – comprising Gloucestershire County Council and six district councils – with a single, unified authority responsible for delivering all local services across the county, including waste collection, planning, fire and rescue, social care, education, and more.

This decision, alongside those of the other six Gloucestershire councils, will be part of the county’s final submission to central government, due by 28 November 2025. The proposal will then be assessed against key criteria such as population size, service efficiency, financial sustainability, and local identity, ahead of a public consultation expected in early 2026.

Councillor Richard Stanley, Leader of Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “Local Government Reorganisation has been mandated by central government, and it has forced a reconsideration of how local government functions in Gloucestershire.

“Unitaries aren’t new – most of the country operates using a unitary model – and as part of our transition, we will want to ensure services are designed in a way that are more efficient and quicker to respond, but that still feel local to the people who use them.

“For Tewkesbury Borough, it’s important that the option we support offers the best opportunities for our communities and businesses. Of the three proposals, a single unitary authority is the one that provides the scale and coherence needed to harness the county’s strengths, while ensuring local identify and community are protected through strong neighbourhood working.”

A single unitary authority can deliver significant financial savings – estimated at £164 million over ten years – with a payback period of just two years. The new structure would come into effect no earlier than April 2028, following a transitional period of planning and implementation.

For more information on Local Government Reorganisation and devolution in Gloucestershire, including updates on which of the unitary options each of the councils will be supporting, visit futuregloucestershire.org.uk

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