Major Local Government change proposals to be debated by councillors
Stroud District Council will debate three proposals next week for how local government in Gloucestershire could be organised in the future.
The options being considered are:
- One council for the whole of Gloucestershire (Single Unitary Authority)
- Two councils: one for the west (Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Stroud) and one for the east (Cheltenham, Cotswold, Tewkesbury)
- Two councils: one for a ‘Greater Gloucester’ city area and one for the rest of the county.
Since 1974, the county has been administered by Gloucestershire County Council which provides services including adult social care, highways, libraries and education; and six districts, boroughs and Gloucester City Council which provides services including waste and recycling, leisure, planning, environmental health, council tax and benefits. A unitary authority or authorities for Gloucestershire would provide all these services across the county.
The county’s seven principal councils have been working together since the start of 2025 to develop two of the proposals. These are a single unitary authority and two unitary authorities for east and west Gloucestershire. Gloucester City Council has separately developed a third proposal for a ‘Greater Gloucester’ unitary council and another council for the remainder of the county.
Proposals must be submitted to Government by 28 November 2025. The Government then will consult Gloucestershire residents and other key stakeholders on the proposals early next year, ahead of a summer 2026 decision by the Minister on which proposal will be implemented. Under the Government's current timetable, the new council(s) are expected to be in place by 2028.
“This is clearly a very important the decision, which could help shape the future of local government in Gloucestershire for the next 50 years,” said Stroud District Council Leader Chloe Turner. "We will be considering the two options against Government's set criteria, but also against a number of additional criteria relevant to our place and our local communities".
The options
Single Unitary Authority
- One council for the whole county.
- Maintains county-wide services such as fire and rescue, adult social care, and education.
- Expected to save £21 million per year, with £164 million in net savings over 10 years.
- Would introduce Neighbourhood Partnerships to strengthen local decision-making.
- Offers the greatest economies of scale.
Two Unitary Authorities (East/West)
- Two councils: East (Cheltenham, Cotswold, Tewkesbury) and West (Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Stroud).
- Closer to their communities by virtue of their smaller size.
- Expected to save £10.8 million per year, with £54.8 million in net savings over 10 years.
- Would require disaggregation of county-wide services and creation of a separate Fire and Rescue Authority.
Greater Gloucester Proposal
- Two councils: Greater Gloucester city area and Gloucestershire Unitary for the rest of the county.
- Would require boundary changes and additional transition costs.
- Financial modelling and viability assessment have been limited due to time constraints.
Next steps
Stroud District Council will decide which proposal to support at its meeting on Thursday, 20 November 2025. Members of the public are welcome to observe the meeting in person or online. Details of that meeting, including the report they will consider are available now below.
The full proposals are on the councils’ shared website.
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