Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) - Gloucestershire proposals submitted to government

Published

28.11.2025

Gloucestershire councils today (28 November) made a joint submission to government on proposals for the future of local government in the county supported by a letter reflecting the level of collaboration and joint working in the county.

The submission comes following meetings throughout November where councillors of each of the seven councils have debated the pros and cons of the different proposals for LGR.

A summary of the decision of each council is below.

Council	Recommendation to government
Cheltenham Borough Council	Two unitary – East/West
Cotswold District Council	One unitary
Forest of Dean District Council	None (not supportive of LGR)
Gloucester City Council	Two unitary – Greater Gloucester / Gloucestershire Unitary
Gloucestershire County Council	One unitary
Stroud District Council	One unitary
Tewkesbury Borough Council	One unitary

The full proposals are available on Future Gloucestershire : Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation in Gloucestershire.

Government will consult early next year on all submitted proposals that meet its criteria and is expected to make a final decision in summer 2026. Elections for the shadow authority or authorities is likely to take place in May 2027 with the new unitary structure in place on 1 April 2028.

All seven councils are already working together to develop plans on how to deliver all the work needed between now and the new council or councils being established.