Statement from Leader of Warwickshire County Council, Councillor George Finch following the Government's announcement of a review of the Local Government Reorganisation programme.
The Government has announced a review of its Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) programme following updated legal advice.
Warwickshire is one of 14 areas where proposals will be reviewed and paused while the Government considers whether the process is legally robust and aligned with its priorities.
The Government has also confirmed that councils with local elections scheduled for May 2027 will go ahead on existing council boundaries. For Warwickshire, this means elections for North Warwickshire Borough Council, Rugby Borough Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwick District Council will go ahead as planned. There are no County Council elections scheduled for next year.
Throughout this process, the County Council’s priority remains on delivering services for residents and supporting communities across Warwickshire. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.
Statement from Councillor George Finch, Leader of Warwickshire County Council:
“Councils across Warwickshire have spent months responding to Government demands and preparing detailed proposals for local government reorganisation. Significant time, effort and taxpayers’ money have been committed to a process that the Government has now decided to pause.
“This latest announcement is deeply frustrating, but it is hardly surprising. As Leader, I have said countless times that the Government’s timetable was unrealistic. I warned that there simply would not be the capacity to deliver reorganisation properly within the timescales we were given, and that the Government itself would struggle to meet its own deadlines. Those concerns were raised repeatedly, yet councils were expected to press ahead regardless.
“Residents are entitled to ask why so much public money has been spent on a programme that now appears to be back at the drawing board. The Government must take responsibility for the uncertainty it has created and the costs that have been incurred.
“More fundamentally, the public did not vote for this reorganisation. There has been no direct mandate from the people of Warwickshire for these changes, yet residents have been expected to accept a major restructuring of their local government without having a meaningful say in whether they want it. Decisions of this magnitude should be driven by the people they affect, not imposed from Westminster.
“At a time when families are facing rising costs and councils are under immense financial pressure, every pound of taxpayers’ money must be spent wisely. Our administration’s priority is protecting frontline services, maintaining our roads, supporting vulnerable residents and delivering the services people rely on every day - not being tied up in endless bureaucracy.
“Our administration believes that any changes to local government must deliver better services, stronger local accountability and genuine value for money. It cannot simply be about changing council boundaries or creating another layer of bureaucracy.
“Any future arrangements must work for the people of Warwickshire, not just satisfy a timetable set by the Government.
“I will be writing to the Government to ask that Warwickshire County Council be reimbursed for the taxpayers’ money we have spent on Local Government Reorganisation so far. It is only right that the Government takes responsibility for the financial consequences of a process it required councils to undertake and has now chosen to pause. Warwickshire taxpayers should not be left footing the bill for the Government’s changing plans.
“The Government must now provide clear answers about what happens next, how much this review will cost and when councils and residents can expect certainty. Local authorities cannot be expected to continue committing scarce resources to a process without a clear direction or a credible timetable.”
“Warwickshire County Council will continue to work constructively with our district and borough council partners, but our administration’s first responsibility is to the people who pay for and rely on our services. Whatever the outcome of this review, our focus will remain on protecting taxpayers’ money, delivering efficient and accountable local government, and securing the best possible future for Warwickshire.
“Residents deserve a council that puts their priorities first, and that is exactly what this administration will continue to do.”