Will the local government reorganisation scheme’s benefits outweigh the disruption?
Former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed has released a statement[1] confirming that councils under the two-tier system will be replaced by councils under a single-tier unitary system as part of the ‘local government reorganisation’ (LGR) scheme.
Nearly one-third of England’s population relies on a two-tier local government, in which the duties are split between a county and district council. The LGR scheme intends to bring larger, single tier, unitary councils[2] that would manage these duties together.
By introducing unitary councils, the government has said that ‘By bringing children’sservices, adult social care, public health and housing together under one council, leaders will be better placed to coordinate services around people’s needs’[3].As part of the new plan for LGR, the government has provided support by giving £900,000 for each new council created through the scheme, and up to £150,000 per new council to support leadership capacity in children’s services, adult social care and public health.[4]
As it stands, the current two-tier councils will be unified as follows[5]:
- Five unitary councils will be implemented in: Essex, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock; Hampshire, The Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton.
- Four unitary councils will be implemented in: Devon, Plymouth and Torbay; Hertfordshire; Kent and Medway; Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool; Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and Northeast Lincolnshire.
- Three unitary councils will be implemented in: Norfolk; Suffolk; Oxfordshire.
- Two unitary councils will be implemented in: Derbyshire and Derby; East Sussex and Brighton and Hove; Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland; Nottinghamshire and Nottingham; Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent; Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
- One unitary council will be implemented in Gloucestershire.
How will this affect social care?
One concern with the LGR scheme is the potential for increased complexity in coordination for both social care practitioners and council staff working in safeguarding. In a recent survey by the healthcare technology company ‘System C’, it was revealed that 41% of their social care practitioners did not feel confident that safeguarding concerns will be recognised and escalated appropriately during the shift from two-tier councils to single-tier[6]. As well as this, the current president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Phil Holmes, stated that the local government reorganisation scheme “will take a lot of bandwidth away” and “by definition it means they won’t be able to focus on some of the other things that are happening”[7].
Totnes Town Council has raised similar concerns, calling for the area of Bridgetown to remain within a single unitary authority area, rejecting the government’s proposal to split it across two unitary authorities. This rejection was attributed to concerns about the proposed boundary and the effect it would have on ‘community identity, local service provision, voluntary organisations, health and social care, transport links, environmental stewardship and partnership projects across the area’[8].
Potential benefits to social care
Although the LGR scheme has raised some concerns, the government has announced that £1.5 million will be provided for targeted development, mentoring and peer support for current, new, and aspiring leaders. A new rapid development programme for Director of Adult Social Services roles and those new to post will start in 2027. This will assist in the transition from two-tier to single-tier councils[9].
In a report by the County Councils Network in 2025 on LGR, the local authority officers were found to demonstrate ‘cautious optimism about LGR’s potential benefits’.[10] The report states that the opportunities identified include more coordinated support for vulnerable populations and those at risk of homelessness, access to comprehensive resident data, and improved service delivery models.[11]
The LGR scheme will affect each council differently; however, at this stage it cannot be assumed that the disruption caused by the reorganisation will be an ongoing issue for social care. Yet it is uncertain if the systems put in place by the government will address the mentioned issues during the transition from two-tier to single tier, we will look to actively monitor the effect LGR will have on councils and their commissioning of social care services.
[1] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-07-16/hcws286
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-government-reorganisation-policy-and-programme-updates#about-local-government-reorganisation
[3]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a58a7ed31fb6daf314137e5/Local_government_reorganisation_-_supporting_adult_social_care__public_health_and_childrens_services.pdf page 1
[4] https://www.slcc.co.uk/government-confirms-next-phase-of-lgr/
[5] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-government-reorganisation-policy-and-programme-updates
[6] https://www.systemc.com/why-social-care-is-carrying-the-greatest-risk-when-it-comes-to-local-government-reorganisation/
[7] https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/workforce/adass-president-lgr-will-take-away-bandwidth-23-06-2026/
[8] https://www.totnestowncouncil.gov.uk/lgr-extraordinary-meeting/
[9]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a58a7ed31fb6daf314137e5/Local_government_reorganisation_-_supporting_adult_social_care__public_health_and_childrens_services.pdf
[10] https://visionarynetwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CCN-and-Newton-Local-Government-Reorganisation-Oct-2025.pdf
[11] https://visionarynetwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CCN-and-Newton-Local-Government-Reorganisation-Oct-2025.pdf page 7
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