Local government reorganisation (LGR)

What is local government reorganisation (LGR), and what does it mean for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight?

  • Background

    Local government reorganisation is a process initiated by government to change how local councils are organised. The aim is to reorganise councils so that they have clearer accountability, more joined-up services, and long-term financial sustainability.  

    Many places, including most of Hampshire, currently operate a two-tier system, with a county council providing some local services and district or borough councils providing other local services. In the future, all local services in an area will be provided by a single ‘unitary’ authority.   

    Following the government’s decision, four or five new unitary authorities will be created in Hampshire, replacing the current 15 local councils and providing all local services across their areas.   

    The new local authorities will go live from 2028. 

  • The current system 

    In many areas of England, local services are run by more than one council. This is known as a two-tier authority, or a two-tier system, where a county council represents the ‘upper tier’ and local councils the ‘lower tier’. 

    In Hampshire, there are currently 15 district, borough, and county councils, as well as unitary authorities:

    The county council:

    • Hampshire County Council

    District, borough and city councils:

    • Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
    • East Hampshire District Council
    • Eastleigh Borough Council
    • Fareham Borough Council
    • Gosport Borough Council
    • Hart District Council
    • Havant Borough Council
    • New Forest District Council
    • Rushmoor Borough Council
    • Test Valley Borough Council
    • Winchester City Council

    Unitary authorities:

    • Southampton 
    • Portsmouth
    • Isle of Wight

    These councils split responsibility for services between them. The county council provides services that cover the entire county (e.g. education, social services, highways and transport, strategic planning and many more), while the smaller councils provide services to the local area only. These differ from council to council but may include services such as housing, local planning applications, waste collection, street cleaning, and many more. 

    Each council has its own structure, with elected councillors, paid members of staff (sometimes called officers), working together to make decisions about the area.