Leaders react after 'super council' paused by No10

Gloucestershire's leaders have said no one "saw this coming" after Number 10 announced earlier that a major shake-up of local government had been put on hold.

In Gloucestershire, the county's seven councils were to be merged into one unitary authority or "super council". The county is one of 14 areas where local government reorganisation (LGR) is now being paused while a review is carried out.

Leader of Gloucestershire County Council Lisa Spivey described herself as "reeling" from Monday's announcement.

Whereas others, like Gloucester City Council leader Jeremy Hilton, welcomed a review, saying one unitary council was "damaging to the city of Gloucester" and "not ideal" for the county either.

The decision by the government was made because of "legal advice" and whether the shake-up of local councils met the "priorities of new administration."

Spivey said she was "very shocked" by Monday's announcement, which follows a decision in July that Gloucestershire's seven county and district councils were to be replaced by one single unitary authority from April 2028.

Until then, it was unknown whether the seven councils would be replaced with either one or two "super authorities".

"Normally, these kind of things you get wind of," Spivey said, "there's always a little bit of rumours," adding that on this occasion there was "absolutely not even a hint of this happening".

Tewkesbury Borough Council leader Richard Stanley described it as a "U-turn" and said "it wasn't something" councils had "asked for".

"It was something government pushed on us and to now have them make a decision and then move the goal posts on a big decision like this, it's really frustrating," Stanley said.

Chloe Turner, leader of Stroud District Council, described the decision as an "absolute shambles" and a "distraction".

"We need to be focused on reviving local services, restoring public trust, and to have the finance and headspace to address the climate and nature emergency." Turner said.

Rowena Hay, leader of Cheltenham Borough Council said she was concerned about what it would mean for staff and residents.

"The instability for the staff and thousands of people working across the country on this transition is enormous and the implications of that brings uncertainty," she said.

Local elections scheduled for May 2027 were cancelled in August for Tewkesbury, the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean - they are now back on.

Other local politicians are more happy about the news, like Forest of Dean MP Matt Bishop.

The Labour politician said in a statement on social media he had "had longstanding concerns" about LGR "particularly the chosen model".

Hilton, a Liberal Democrat, added he was also pleased about the move describing it as a "pleasant shock."

The Gloucester City Council leader said he had been concerned Gloucester would lose its representation in a county-wide model.

"September 7th will be the day that we've saved the city of Gloucester from its total abolition," Hilton said.

He said for the city "not have its own dedicated local authority just seems to be nonsense".

While Gloucestershire is one of 14 areas to be paused and reviewed, proposals to merge smaller councils into larger authorities in Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk have been withdrawn.

It is not every day you get to break a news story affecting a council leader to that leader - but that was the case today when I texted Lisa Spivey, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, at lunchtime.

Spivey did not have a clue this was being announced today, showing it must have been kept pretty tight within government circles.

Since December 2024, when Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner announced sweeping reforms to councils in England - in her first stint in the role - councils have been looking at the best model for the future.

In Gloucestershire, three models were suggested for the LGR and the one that succeeded was one council for the whole county.

But Gloucestershire was part of the exception to the rule, with other county's being split up.

Some councillors have suggested to me the "legal challenges" that the government are concerned about could be coming from people who think the splits were made for political purposes.

Four of the seven Gloucestershire councils that were being merged had submitted proposals for the one-council-one-county option.

But those whose options did not get picked, like Bishop, who wanted the East/West split, or Hilton, who wanted the Greater Gloucester model, are happy the "super council" option has been put on hold for now.

Angela Rayner said there would be a "rapid review", meaning it is unlikely to get kicked into the long grass.

However, it does place uncertainty on councils and their residents, who have had to deal with the uncertainty of local government changes already.

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