08 Sep 2026
The Rural Services Network has called on the Government to provide councils with urgent clarity and ensure rural fairness is central to its review of Local Government Reorganisation.
The Government has launched a review of its Local Government Reorganisation programme following updated legal advice. Decisions affecting Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk have been withdrawn, while proposals covering a further 14 areas, as well as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and West Sussex, have been paused and will form part of the review.
Local elections scheduled for May 2027 will proceed on existing council boundaries, while reorganisation in Surrey will continue as planned.
Responding to the announcement
Kerry Booth, Chief Executive of the Rural Services Network:
We know that our member authorities will have different perspectives on local government reorganisation, reflecting their structures, circumstances and the communities they represent. That is exactly why there cannot be a one-size-fits-all model for areas with very different geographies, identities and service needs. Our priority is to ensure that any future arrangements reflect local circumstances and work fairly and effectively for rural communities.
This announcement will inevitably create significant uncertainty for councils that have already committed substantial staff time, resources and public money to developing proposals and preparing for change. Many of these authorities are already operating under severe financial and workforce pressures, while trying to protect essential services and respond to rising demand. The capacity devoted to reorganisation has therefore come at a real cost and cannot simply be regarded as time and money that councils could easily afford to spare.
The Government must now provide a clear timetable, explain how the review will be taken forward and give affected authorities the certainty they need to plan services, support their workforces and make responsible financial decisions.
For rural areas, geography matters. How people access services, how connected they feel to decision-makers and whether their communities continue to have a strong voice must be properly considered alongside questions of structure and efficiency.
It is also vital that structural reform is not seen as a substitute for fair funding.
Whatever structures emerge, rural councils will continue to face the additional costs of delivering services across large geographical areas and to dispersed populations.
Any future arrangements must therefore be backed by a fair and sustainable funding settlement that properly recognises rural need and the cost of rural service delivery. Changing boundaries alone will not resolve the pressures facing councils or improve outcomes for residents.
We urge the Government to provide clarity as quickly as possible, work closely with all affected authorities and ensure councils are not left carrying additional costs arising from changes to the process. The Rural Services Network stands ready to contribute evidence from our members and to help ensure that rural fairness remains at the heart of the review.
Kerry Booth, Chief Executive, RSN
