We have provided answers to the questions we are most often being asked about local government reorganisation.
We will be keeping this page updated so if you have a question that has not yet been answered, let us know.
There is also a devolution and local government reorganisation Frequently Asked Question and glossary published by the Local Government Association.
What is Local Government Reoganisation
Local government reorganisation is all about upcoming changes in the structure, responsibilities, and boundaries of local councils in England. A Government White Paper on English Devolution, published in December 2024, proposed significant changes to how local councils are structured. The plan is for reorganisation in ‘two-tier’ areas such as Cambridgeshire - where there are both district and county councils. In Cambridgeshire, the idea will be to replace multiple layers of councils with one larger Council – a Unitary Authority.
What is a 'two-tier' authority
Cambridgeshire is an area which currently has a ‘two-tier’ authority system. This means Cambridgeshire County Council provide services that cover the whole county such as education, roads maintenance and adult social care. District councils such as South Cambridgeshire are smaller and provide local services including rubbish collection, planning, homelessness support and environmental health. Parish and town councils – which we also have in South Cambridgeshire - are smaller once again and have differing local responsibilities. It’s important to note that the Government is asking county and district councils to reorganise into unitary authorities – but town and parish councils are not currently being asked to change.
Peterborough City Council is already a Unitary Authority.
What are unitary authorities
A Unitary Authority is a single tier of local government that takes on the responsibilities of both district and county councils. This contrasts with the two-tier system, where there is a County Council with some responsibilities, and district or city councils with other responsibilities in the county area.
What will happen in Cambridgeshire
That has not yet been confirmed. We have backed the creation of a new unitary Council for Greater Cambridge and another for North Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We've sent a detailed proposal to Government. In total, four proposals have been submitted to Government by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough councils. There will be a government consultation, before they ultimately make a final decision in summer this year. New unitary councils are then due to begin operating in a shadow capacity from May 2027, with full implementation expected in April 2028.
Why does local government reorganisation happen
As outlined in our report for our Full Council meeting on 20 March 2025, the benefits of local government re-organisation are intended to include the opportunities to help transformation in the longer term by bringing services together which can support improvements. This could include more support for preventative and holistic services focused on the needs of local people and communities, while making it simpler for residents to understand who is responsible for the services they receive. The Government has also been very clear that financial savings are expected through the process of reducing the number of councils. Overall, the Government White Paper on Devolution says “If we are going to build an economy that works for everyone, we need nothing less than a completely new way of governing – a generational project of determined devolution.”
Who decides on local government reorganisation
We have backed the creation of a new unitary Council for Greater Cambridge and another for North Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We've sent a detailed proposal to Government. In total, four proposals are being submitted to Government by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough councils. There will be a consultation run by the Government in 2026, before they ultimately make a final decision this summer. New unitary councils are then due to begin operating in a shadow capacity from May 2027, with full implementation expected in April 2028. So, the final decisions on which new local government structures are put into place in Cambridgeshire will ultimately be made by central Government.
What impact will local government reorganisation have on residents and businesses
Reorganisation presents both opportunities and challenges for East Cambridgeshire District Council, residents and businesses. Benefits include the potential for improved services through more functions ‘under one roof’, clearer accountability for residents and businesses, and potential financial savings - which are explicitly expected by the government. In total £43 million is expected to be saved if Option B, our preferred option, is progressed. However, significant risks exist, including potential loss of local representation, due to the increase in size of any new Unitary Authority compared to the current District Council, possible Council workforce instability during changes, substantial implementation costs, and setting a single Council Tax charge across an area which has previously had multiple councils all setting their own Council Tax charges.
Have there been recent examples of reorganisation
Yes. In 2023, new unitary authorities were established in North Yorkshire, Somerset, and Cumbria. Other reorganisations have occurred in Dorset (2019) and Northamptonshire (2021). However, the difference now is that the Government expects, as a minimum, all Council areas across England where there is currently a two-tier system in-place to be reorganised.
What are the timelines for local government reorganisation in Cambridgeshire
New unitary councils are due to begin operating in April 2028. In advance of them legally coming into force, the new councils will exist in a shadow capacity so officers and councillors can help prepare, plan, make transitional decisions needed for day one and provide recommendations to the new authority. This phase would begin from May 2027.
Looking a little further back in time, the Government asked for an initial response from all councils regarding Local Government Reorganisation in England by 21 March 2025. We therefore held a Special Full Council meeting on 20 March 2025 to discuss local government reorganisation – and the Council’s initial response.
We then encouraged residents and businesses to feed into the process by completing a joint survey between all the seven existing councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. This survey ran from June 2025 to the end of the day on Sunday 20 July 2025.
In spring 2024 we also ran a survey asking residents for their initial views on Local Government Reorganisation.
Responses to both of these engagement exercises were used to feed into the business cases that were developed by the councils - which had to be submitted by the end of November 2025.
We agreed our formal response to Government at Full Council on 20 November 2025. We have backed the creation of a new unitary council for Greater Cambridge and another for North Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We've sent a detailed proposal to Government.
In total, four proposals have been submitted to Government by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough councils. The Government will make the final decision on how to reorganise in this area in around July this year. Before they do a public consultation will be carried out to gather local views.
How can residents and businesses give their views on the reorganisation
We encouraged residents and businesses to feed into the process by sharing what matters most to them through a joint survey with all the other Cambridgeshire councils in June and July last year.
Responses to these engagement exercises were used to feed into the Business Cases that were developed by the councils – which were submitted to Government in November 2025.
The Government will be making the final decision on which option for the reorganisation in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and they are running a public consultation in February and March so local views can be considered.
Does this mean that East Cambridgeshire District Council won’t exist in future
Yes. The Government has been clear that ‘two-tier’ Council areas like Cambridgeshire will see city / district and county councils abolished and they will be replaced by unitary authorities.
Will local government reorganisation impact town and parish councils
The Government is asking county and district councils to reorganise into unitary authorities. Town and parish councils are not currently being asked to change.
Will Cambridgeshire County Council simply take over all local district / city councils
No. All councils in Cambridgeshire will be abolished. Whatever new unitary authorities are created in Cambridgeshire, they will be governed through the new elected members of those Councils.
What will this mean for Council Tax charges
There is always a possibility that Council Tax could change – it is a key source of funding for Council services.
Until existing councils are abolished and a new unitary councils set up, East Cambridgeshire District Council, though its partnership with Anglia Revenues Partnership will continue to issue bills in the same way as it does now.
It is too early to indicate what might happen with regards to Council Tax levels in future years, and for when any new unitary authority is in place.