Local Government Reorganisation

The process so far 

Plans for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are continuing. 

In Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, the nine existing local authorities including Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) would be abolished, to create new unitary councils with a higher population of residents, following a central government white paper in November 2024.

In February 2025, the Government wrote to local authorities formally inviting them to submit proposals to create new structures of unitary authorities – which is a single tier of local government responsible for all local services in an area. The aim is to create more efficient and effective local government, potentially leading to streamlined services and cost savings for residents.

Engagement process, August 4 - September 14

Give your views on the future of Local Government in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire

People across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are being invited to share their views on the future of local government.

A survey, launching today (August 4) aims to gather public feedback on what matters most to local people and organisations, to help shape new authorities’ priorities.

The six-week survey is being led jointly by all nine councils in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

The decision to launch a local government reorganisation process was taken by central government, who wrote to local authorities in February formally asking them to submit proposals to create new structures of ‘unitary authorities’ – which is a single tier of local government responsible for all local services in an area. The aim is to create more efficient and effective local government, potentially leading to streamlined services and cost savings.

Currently, council services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are delivered differently, depending on where you live.

In Nottinghamshire local services are currently delivered under what is known as a ‘two-tier’ council structure. Nottinghamshire County Council oversees county-wide services such as social care, education, and road maintenance. While several smaller district and borough councils are responsible for more localised services, including waste collection, and leisure centres.

Nottingham City Council operates as a ‘unitary authority’, meaning it provides all council services within the city of Nottingham.

Under LGR, all nine existing local authorities would be abolished, to create new unitary councils with a higher population of residents.

It is being proposed that two new unitary councils should be created for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to replace the current nine.

Two core options are currently being considered:

1. A new unitary authority combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Gedling, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire; Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, Bassetlaw and Rushcliffe. This is known as 1b.
2. A new unitary authority combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Rushcliffe, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire; Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, Bassetlaw and Gedling. This is known as 1e.

At this stage, no final decision has been made on a single option, and some councils could still explore additional proposals alongside the two core options currently being considered.

Nottingham City Council is one of those councils and is currently working up a boundary review option. This looks at the current boundaries, the communities within them and the services they access to see if they work well or whether new boundaries may work better.

A spokesperson for the nine councils said: “This is an important opportunity for local people to help shape the future of local government in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

“We are taking a single approach to engagement to ensure we capture a consistent and representative view on what is the biggest shake-up of local government in over 50 years.

“We want to understand what matters most to people and ensure that any future changes reflect the needs and priorities of our communities. We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to complete the survey and have their say.”

The views of people shared in this survey will feed into the development of final proposals, which must be submitted to government by 28 November 2025.

Government will then review proposals before making a final decision on the LGR option for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – as well as other council areas across England – in the Summer of 2026.

The survey will be open until 11pm on Sunday 14 September and offers anyone with an interest in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, from residents to businesses, the opportunity to learn more about LGR and share their views.  You can access the survey online www.lgrnotts.org

In Rushcliffe residents can also fill in a paper copy of the survey from Thursday August 7 at the following locations, all in line with the venues’ opening hours:

• Rushcliffe Arena, Rugby Road, West Bridgford NG2 7YG
• West Bridgford Library, Bridgford Road, West Bridgford, NG2 6AP
• Grange Hall, Vicarage Lane, Radcliffe on Trent, NG12 2FB
• Bingham Arena, Mercia Court, Chapel Lane, Bingham, NG13 8QX
• Cotgrave Library, Cotgrave Hub, Rivermead, Cotgrave NG12 3UQ
• Edwalton Golf Club, Wellin Lane, Edwalton, NG12 4AS
• Keyworth Parish Council, Village Hall, Elm Avenue, NG12 5AN
• Ruddington Parish Council, St Peter's Rooms, Church St, Ruddington, NG11 6HD
• East Leake Parish Council, 45 Main Street, East Leake, LE12 6PF

Government update, July 2025

In July 2025, government further outlined a summary and the possible timeline of the reorganisation.

July 2025 Full Council meeting 

Councillors considered a report on the future of local Councils in Nottinghamshire, including a possible new unitary council covering Rushcliffe, Newark and Sherwood, Ashfield, Bassetlaw and Mansfield.

A majority of Councillors voted in favour of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) recommendations at a Full Council meeting on July 17 to continue to work collaboratively with all other local authorities in Nottinghamshire and Nottingham.

The vote was not on any final proposals for possible change and the authority is waiting for fellow Councils to also put forward their preferences for possible reorganisation. This is with a view to developing a final unitary proposal for submission by the Government’s deadline of November 28 this year.

At the meeting, a majority of Councillors voted in favour of supporting the development of the option of one unitary council covering Rushcliffe, Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Mansfield and Newark and Sherwood and one unitary covering Broxtowe, Gedling and Nottingham City.

It included supporting the proposal reorganisation does not include any part of the current Rushcliffe Borough being absorbed into any new or expanded city area.

The Council is in favour of temporarily pausing any further work focusing on RBC’s own 3 unitary option where Rushcliffe is joined with Newark and Sherwood and Gedling borough councils until there is more clarity on options being taken forward as part of all the councils’ joint work.

If further support materialises for a three unitary option from other councils, this option will be pursued further to a potential final bid stage and further partnership working explored with other councils.

Councillors also voted in favour of development of the final proposal includes involvement of the Town and Parish Councils, other local community organisations and businesses as part of the wider engagement in the process.

A majority of Councillors accepted an amendment to the original recommendations recognising that after the reorganisation all councils in the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire area will be completely new organisations. 

The Council accepted a further amendment reaffirming its commitment to engage with residents on their views. RBC is working with other councils on a joint approach which it will announce as soon as possible.

March 2025 Full Council meeting 

All nine councils discussed an interim submission to Government that was sent on March 21 that outlined three core options. 

1. A new unitary authority combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Gedling, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire.
2. A new unitary authority combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Rushcliffe, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire.
3. Nottingham city remains a unitary authority, with a new single unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire.

Leaders accepted that some councils may still wish to continue to explore additional proposals alongside the three core options tabled.

At an extraordinary meeting on March 20, 2025 RBC also debated a fourth option to create three unitary authorities, none of which would involve joining with the Nottingham City Council local authority area. 

The report on LGR outlined the Council's preferred option along with three other potential options for reorganisation. These were developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) following discussions with the Leaders of all Nottinghamshire local authorities.

It formally proposed its preferred option of the City remaining on existing boundaries and the remainder of the County comprising 2 unitaries - which would result in no-parts of Rushcliffe Borough joining the city. This would use current district council boundaries based on the current county boundaries. 

30 Councillors voted for this option, 1 against and there were 13 abstentions. 

In June 2025, the Government issued its feedback on the joint interim LGR plan.

The feedback acknowledged the positive partnership working by the councils so far, and encouraged the councils to continue to work together, to shape high-quality and sustainable services that best respond to the needs of residents and provide better value for money.

It recognised that proposals are at an early stage, with further work planned in the run-up to final submissions planned for November 2025.

A strong emphasis was placed on providing rationale for populations below or above 500,000, as well as ensuring local engagement planned for the summer will seek to hear views on how new authorities could work with the East Midlands Combined County Authority.

The feedback also included recognition of an additional option, submitted by RBC asking that any additional proposals include comparison to core proposals and how they may better meet criteria.

RBC are pleased this further option remains possible in the discussions and reiterates its support to scope this further whilst concurrently exploring the other three options.

Next steps 

The feedback from central government following the interim submission will be further reviewed in depth, in order to focus and refine next steps, ahead of its November 28, 2025 deadline to submit final, much more detailed, proposals.

Leaders also agreed that this next stage of submissions would require a more detailed analysis of individual options, and agreed to emphasise to Government that a review of current boundaries may be required, to ensure that LGR delivers the best outcomes for local communities.

An engagement process on possible reorganisation is set to take place in due course, look out on this website and all Council channels on how you can have your views heard.

The nine councils involved are:

• Ashfield District Council
• Bassetlaw District Council
• Broxtowe Borough Council
• Gedling Borough Council
• Mansfield District Council
• Newark and Sherwood District Council
• Nottingham City Council
• Nottinghamshire County Council
• Rushcliffe Borough Council