Elections have been delayed in nine areas of England. They are officially on the ‘fast track’ to reorganisation.
But the chosen ones should buckle up, because the journey is about to get bumpier than driving along a pothole-ridden council highway.
The political map will be torn up, councils abolished and new ones established.
Local government in East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Surrey will never be the same again.
With just three months to prepare unitary proposals and 15 months before elections to the new councils, a period of turmoil awaits.
Right now, no one knows the areas the unitary authorities will cover, what they’ll be called, where they’ll be based, or who might lead them.
With so many unanswered questions, let’s turn to one of the country’s newest unitary councils to gain an insight into what to expect.
On April 1 2023, eight North Yorkshire councils became one. England’s largest unitary was born.
The district councils warned against the ‘super council’, while the county council successfully argued the county was ‘stronger together’.
Tensions mounted as close colleagues became rivals, and councillors, often from the same political party, clashed over which model should be chosen.
Government hopes councils will work “collaboratively and proactively” to jointly submit just one proposal for each area.
But here’s the first lesson North Yorkshire can teach us: It could turn very bitter, very quickly.
Indeed, the bunfight has begun in several areas.
Just days in, leaders in fast-track areas are already seemingly at loggerheads. Elation from county councils has been met with uproar from many districts.
It’s “the countdown to annihilation”, said Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen, leader of Breckland District Council in Norfolk.
“It represents the death knell of local democracy,” said Cllr Zoe Nicholson, leader of Lewes District Council in East Sussex.
So with angst between councils, and some fury at government, cooperation and consensus seems unlikely.
The main issue will be the size and geography of the new councils.
But North Yorkshire teaches us: There are really no rules.
One authority now serves 620,000 people across an area five times the size of Greater London. The journey east to west is 110 miles.
If a unitary council of this scale is within the realms of possibility, it’s hard to see much is off limits.
The official government position is that the new authorities “must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks”.
For most areas, they say, this means creating councils with a population of 500,000… “or more”.
Single unitaries covering Essex (1.9m people), Hampshire (1.4m people) and Surrey (1.2m people) would seem unlikely.
But perhaps it wouldn’t be out of the question for Suffolk (770,000 people), East Sussex (830,000 people), West Sussex (890,000 people) or even Norfolk (925,000 people).
Establishing multiple unitaries here might make more practical sense, but any division of these counties would lead to authorities below 500,000, significantly so in the case of Suffolk.
Whatever model is ultimately chosen in each area, North Yorkshire’s example warns us: Expect disruption.
Indeed, the “breakneck speed” of reorganisation is already distracting Arun District Council’s leader from his day job. He says his diary has “gone ballistic”.
And there is still a very long road ahead for Cllr Martin Lury and fellow colleagues riding in the fast lane.
Reorganisation is all consuming.
Decision making slows down. It some cases, it is almost paralysed. Major projects are paused or shelved altogether as resources are diverted to the transition effort.
As soon as a single unitary was announced for North Yorkshire, frantic work commenced.
There were elections to hold, a £1.4bn budget to agree and 13,000 staff to unite, all before the new authority could open its doors.
Management’s top priority for Day 1, though, was ensuring the bins were emptied.
Nothing would signal a dysfunctional start more blatantly than uncollected rubbish by the kerbside.
As the new North Yorkshire authority dawned, chief executive Richard Flinton candidly admitted “a myriad of things will go wrong”.
Luckily, it went without major catastrophe. With intense work, the authority achieved its stated ambition to be “safe and legal”.
But if launching the council represented a headache, a more intense and enduring migraine has since developed.
North Yorkshire Council exists, but it will not truly be one authority for many years yet. Fast-track councils beware: The unitary process is a marathon.
Launching a new council seems easy compared to the issues that need to be grappled with after formation. These will take much, much longer to address.
In North Yorkshire, there are (remarkably) seven different bin collection systems. It’s only this year, three years since the elections, that the roll-out of a single system will commence.
Seven Local Plans must be replaced. A new North Yorkshire-wide plan should be in place by 2028, but producing the largest Local Plan ever is likely going to take even longer than that.
Something as simple as car parking is now a minefield of anomalies.
The authority has 2,000+ individual buildings, parcels of land and other assets to manage. Many need attention, some urgently so.
Capital projects worth millions, including leisure, housing, regeneration and highways schemes, are suffering from spiralling costs.
Teams have been restructured, in some cases beyond recognition. Meanwhile, financial woes are going nowhere.
Reorganisation may be seen as the key to survival, but it certainly won’t be easy. There will be confusion, frustration and despair ahead.
Throughout all of this, the most important lesson is probably this one: The need for unity.
It will take a valiant effort by all involved, councillors and officers, if the fast-track areas are to stand any chance of success.
Robust debate over the future makeup of councils is almost a guarantee.
But whatever model is chosen, however many unitary councils result, whether big or small, the decision government makes must be quickly accepted.
There’s work to be done.
The new councils will depend on rational political leaders and motivated officers supporting them.
North Yorkshire stands as a positive example of that, with (pretty much) everyone knuckling down to give the new authority the best chance of success.
But despite the thankless work involved, North Yorkshire’s case teaches us: Unitary could be a hard sell with the public.
Meddling with the system people have known for 50 years is likely to generate scepticism, if not fierce resistance.
Many feel an affinity to their council. It’s part of their community identity.
Others simply do not like change. And this will be a big change.
But oversell the benefits of ‘going unitary’ at your peril. One final thought from North Yorkshire: Reorganisation is not a silver bullet.
While this process is seen as important, even essential, exaggeration is not a wise way for the fast-trackers to gain public support for this colossal project.
Savings and efficiencies can be achieved, but relentless pressures mean people are almost certainly likely to be left paying more for less, even with reorganisation.
So fast-track councils should be careful. Be upfront and honest about the difficult road ahead.
The fast-lane represents immense opportunities, but it’s also fraught with major risks.
And that’s where we can help.
As a vast swathe of England hurtles towards reorganisation, Cavendish’s team of local government experts are ready to support you, your authority, your business to navigate this new era of local government.
Keane Duncan is an Associate Director at Cavendish, a member of North Yorkshire Council, and former leader of Ryedale District Council.