Take our Have Your Say East Cambs survey
National Government is making fundamental changes to the way local government is structured. This is a once in a generation change, as the last time this happened was in the 1970s.
All district and county councils in England will be abolished and replaced with the new unitary councils. This will significantly change the way your local services are delivered.
You can read the full government Devolution White Paper, or you can read some frequently asked questions about devolution and Local Government Reorganisation on the Local Government Association's website.
What will happen in East Cambridgeshire
The truth is we don't know any of the detail yet, but it is likely we will be merged with other neighbouring councils to make a larger unitary authority that delivers both district and county services.
East Cambridgeshire District Council currently serves a population of 90,000. Under the proposals the new unitary authority is likely to serve a population of 500,000.
What this could mean
A unitary authority will:
- cover a larger geographical area
- cover a larger population
- offer all district and county services from one council - everything from social care, education and potholes to planning, housing and waste collection
- mean a possible increase in Council Tax for East Cambs residents
- have less councillors covering bigger areas
- services will be less localised
Timeline
This is an outline of the the timeline provided by the government in the white paper. It includes proposed and confirmed dates. Dates will become confirmed as we receive updates:
| Type | Day/Month/Year | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed | 5 February 2025 | Statutory invitation received from Government to submit unitary proposals |
| Confirmed | 21 March 2025 | Submit interim Local Government Reorganisation proposal |
| Confirmed | 1 May 2025 |
Cambridgeshire County Council elections Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayoral election |
| Confirmed | 28 November 2025 | Submit full Local Government Reorganisation proposal |
| Proposed | April/May 2027 | Elections (Shadow authorities) |
| Proposed | April 2028 | Vesting day for new unitary councils |
Key updates
Formal invite received to submit initial Local Government Reorganisation proposal
On Wednesday 5 February 2025 we received our formal invitation to submit Local Government Reorganisation proposals:
Statutory invitation received from Government to submit unitary proposals
The letter sent from Jim McMahon OBE, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution provides proposal development guidance and details on the criteria.
It also confirms we need to work with local partners to submit our interim proposals back to government on or before 21 March 2025 and full proposals by 28 November 2025.
What the district council is doing now
Whilst we cannot influence the decision to abolish district and county councils, we can make sure we help to provide the best possible alternative for our residents, our communities and the new unitary authority.
Between now and 7 March 2025 we are running a survey to ask residents what is important to them in East Cambridgeshire.
Results will be used to help formulate an outline proposal for creating a new unitary authority, which all councils have been asked to submit to government by 21 March 2025.
This is the first of many conversations we will be having with residents over the next 3 years.
Take our Have Your Say East Cambs survey
Please be assured that during the entire process, our focus remains on delivering essential services across the whole of East Cambridgeshire.
We will continue to update this page as more information becomes available.
Last updated: 14 February 2025