Local government reorganisation
Local government reorganisation (LGR) means changing how councils are structured and what services they deliver. The government plans to replace the current two-tier system of district and county councils with new unitary authorities - single councils responsible for all local services. Most new councils will serve populations of 500,000 or more, though exceptions may be made to suit local needs. Each area's future structure will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
How services are delivered now
- Lancashire County Council provides services like social care, education, roads, and libraries.
- District and borough councils manage bin collections, planning, housing, and leisure.
- Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen already operate as unitary councils, delivering all these services under one authority.
The Government's proposed changes
The Government has announced its ambition to dissolve Lancashire’s existing councils and create new unitary councils to deliver all services through single authorities.
Across Lancashire, five proposals for reorganisation were submitted to Government in November:
- A proposal for two unitary councils
- A proposal for three unitary councils
- Two proposals for four unitary councils
- A proposal for five unitary councils
The proposals are available on a joint Lancashire LGR website.
The Government is now considering these proposals against the criteria they set earlier in 2025.
Statutory consultation
As part of its governance process, the Government will be undertaking a statutory consultation on all five proposals to understand the views and preferences of residents and stakeholders. The consultation launched on Thursday 5 February and will last for a period of 7 weeks.
The consultation will primarily be via an online questionnaire.
If you require support completing the questionnaire, staff in all libraries across Lancashire will be on hand to help residents.
Next steps
Following the completion of the statutory consultation, the government's latest timeline is as follows:
- Government decision on preferred option – Summer 2026
- Shadow elections for new unitary councils – May 2027
- New unitary councils go live – April 2028