Stroud District Council has formally agreed a joint response from the seven Gloucestershire Councils which sets out the county’s work-in-progress towards local government reorganisation.
Last night’s (Thursday’s) Extraordinary Meeting of Full Council agreed to respond to the Government invitation and noted the options being considered for a single tier of local government in Gloucestershire.
Currently the county is served by Gloucestershire County Council which provides some services, and six district councils which provide different services, plus town and parish councils. A new, unitary structure would see the top two tiers combine.
Three options have been put forward for a unitary structure in Gloucestershire:
- One unitary council for the whole county.
- Two unitary councils formed by Stroud District, Forest of Dean District and Gloucester City councils in the west; and by Cheltenham Borough, Cotswold District and Tewkesbury Borough councils in the east.
- Two or three unitary councils including a “Greater Gloucester” area.
Last night’s decision means leaders of Gloucestershire County Council and all six district councils will today (Friday) send a letter to the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Jim McMahon MP, setting out the progress that the seven councils have made together so far.
The Council also resolved to work with the other councils to create final proposals for Local Government Reorganisation before the Government deadline of November 28, 2025.
Community and stakeholder engagement will be an essential part of the process over the coming months, and SDC’s Chief Executive and Leader will also liaise with leaders of all SDC political groups and ensure members of the council are regularly briefed.
A further report will be brought to Council before the November 28 deadline to agree support for submission of final proposals.
Stroud District Council Leader Catherine Braun said after the meeting: “I was pleased to see unanimous support for our county-wide response on local government reorganisation. This joint letter reflects a huge amount of work undertaken over the past six weeks, following a request in February from the Government to submit an interim plan for Gloucestershire. I know all of our councillors are committed to securing the best possible future for the people and businesses of Stroud district and maintaining our valued community services, in partnership with parish and town councils and the voluntary and community sector.
“We have committed to wider community and stakeholder engagement for the next phase of the work, which I hope will also include a county-wide citizens’ assembly before our final submissions in late November.”
