CCN publishes letter to the Prime Minister and Local Government Secretary, warning over reorganisation

Today, the County Councils Network (CCN) publishes a letter on local government reorganisation in England, sent to the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed.

Following extensive engagement with its member councils, the letter – proposed and endorsed by members of the network’s Management Committee – represents the CCN’s cross-party position. All county councils and the sole CCN unitary member, North Lincolnshire, impacted by the March decisions and those due be decided on in July, were invited to sign the letter based on their local circumstances. In total, 16 out of those councils signed the letter.

• Download the letter here.
• ‍Download our press release on the letter here.

The letter sets outs concerns on the implications of recent decisions on local government reorganisation in March. It highlights the significant risks this programme of reform now poses to the delivery of essential services to our residents and most vulnerable communities.

The letter argues that those decisions to create 15 new unitary councils depart from the government’s own criteria on scale, sustainability and service resilience, without sufficient transparency or supporting evidence to justify them. The CCN warns that increased fragmentation, complex boundary changes and ambitious implementation timescales could jeopardise the delivery of essential services, particularly adult and children’s social care, while imposing significant additional costs on taxpayers.

The network is calling on ministers to publish the evidence and departmental analysis underpinning recent decisions, to engage councils on the integrity of the decision-making process, alongside the feasibility of delivery within the government’s timescales.

CCN leaders say they remain committed to delivering reforms that strengthen local services and support communities, but stress that reform must be credible, consistent, transparent and rooted in the principles set out at the beginning of the process.