The English Devolution Bill
The UK government has announced plans to restructure local governance in the remaining 21 areas of England by replacing the existing two-tier system of district and county councils with larger unitary authorities. The aim is to move to single-tier administration with one council responsible for all local government services in an area.
In essence LGR means that the existing 15 local authorities in Lancashire will be abolished and replaced with unitary councils. The number and geographical coverage of the new unitary councils will be determined through a formal process outlined by the Minister for Housing, Communities, and Local Government.
To regulate the arrangements the government introduced the English Devolution Bill which sets out proposals to:
- Grant more powers to local authorities through devolution agreements.
- Create combined authorities led by directly elected mayors.
- Replace two-tier areas with unitary councils, each covering a population of at least 500,000.
- Delay some local elections to align with the timetable for reorganisation and transition to the new structures.
What is Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
- Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is the term used when councils are restructured to create fewer, larger authorities. The aim is to simplify local government by replacing the current two-tier system with unitary councils.
- LGR is not new, unitary arrangements operate in most areas of the country with the most recent implemented in Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
Current Local Government Arrangements in Lancashire
Lancashire predominantly has a two-tier system of local government at present:
- County Council – responsible for services such as education, social care, highways and transport.
- District Councils – including Fylde Council, responsible for services such as waste collection, planning applications, housing, leisure and environmental health.
- Unitary Councils – Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwin are small unitary councils with circa 145,000 population established in 1999.
What is a Unitary Council
A unitary council brings together all service responsibilities under a single authority.
- One council would be responsible for the full range of local services.
- Council tax bills, business rates and most local services would all be managed by a single council.
What is Devolution
Devolution is when powers and funding are transferred from central government to a region (Lancashire). In Lancashire, this could mean:
- A Combined Authority, led by a directly elected mayor.
- Greater local control over functions including transport, skills, housing and economic development.
- This would operate alongside but is separate from changes to the structure of councils through LGR.
- New unitary councils created through the LGR process will be the member authorities if the Combined Authority.
