Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet met on Thursday 6 March 2025 to approve the submission of a proposal to Government for local government reorganisation in Warwickshire.
The interim plan is required by March 21 2025.
This comes following a unanimous decision by the Council to support progression of unitary local government for the county. Two possible options are considered - a single unitary council for Warwickshire or two unitary councils (one for North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, and Rugby Boroughs; another for Warwick and Stratford Districts).
In requesting proposals, government has set out some clear criteria for reform. Local councils have been asked that:
- Proposals should seek to achieve for the whole of the area concerned the establishment of a single tier of local government.
- Unitary local government must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks (population of 500,000 or more).
- Unitary structures must prioritise the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens.
- Proposals should show how councils in the area have sought to work together in coming to a view that meets local needs and is informed by local views.
- New unitary structures must support devolution arrangements.
- New unitary structures should enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Leader of Warwickshire County Council said: “At this stage, the initial work suggests a single unitary as being the model that most closely meets the Government criteria, especially on issues of economies of scale, efficiencies and the risks of separation of already established countywide services.
“Over the coming months we will continue to engage with the Districts and Borough councils, local businesses, our colleagues in health and police, the voluntary and community sector and, of course, there will be engagement with residents to hear their views and work up a detailed proposal.
“Whatever model is progressed, above all we must ensure that there is a close connection with the communities that we serve. Our aspiration now is to develop detailed proposals for November to maximise both financial benefit and local connectivity. We do not have to choose between the two and must embed both into the future local government structure in Warwickshire.”
The full cabinet paper can be seen HERE and the appendix HERE