Gloucestershire County Council's Cabinet met on 19 November 2025, and agreed to support the proposal for a single unitary authority for local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire, and to submit this proposal to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Cabinet also discussed public questions regarding the local government reorganisation. Finally, the Cabinet agreed to exclude the press and public from a portion of the meeting to discuss exempt information.

Full Proposals for Reorganisation of Local Government in Gloucestershire

The Cabinet voted to support the single unitary proposal for Local Government reorganisation in Gloucestershire, as detailed in Appendix A - 1UA LGR Full Proposal 1. They also agreed to delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with Councillor Lisa Spivey, Leader of Council, to make any final amendments to the proposals that do not alter their substantive nature. Councillor Spivey was then authorised to submit the full proposal to the Secretary of State by the 28 November deadline.

Councillor Lisa Spivey asked the Cabinet to consider two proposals for local government reorganisation (LGR) in Gloucestershire: (a) a single authority and (b) two unitary authorities based on an East / West division of existing districts. A third proposal, led by Gloucester City Council, was noted but did not have consensus across all seven councils.

Councillor Spivey reminded members that the Secretary of State had invited Gloucestershire to develop a proposal for a single tier of local government on 5 February 2025. She stated that the two proposals were the result of a collaborative and thorough approach by all seven councils in Gloucestershire.

The proposals had been considered at a council meeting on 12 November, which included a non-binding vote. The results of the vote were 38 votes for a single unitary authority and 4 votes for a two unitary authority, with 10 abstentions.

Those who preferred the single unitary authority proposal cited strengths such as:

• Financial sustainability and efficiency
• Protecting countywide services and partnerships
• Simpler, streamlined governance
• One unified voice for Gloucestershire

Councillor Spivey stated her preference for the single unitary proposal.

The Cabinet Member responsible for Fire explained that the single unitary approach would allow the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service to remain part of the council.

One member commented that the speed with which local government had to work in response to the government's request had led to a missed opportunity for more detailed consideration.

One member outlined the preference for the two unitary authority proposal, which had support at the council meeting based on reasons such as responsiveness and efficiency, better local representation and democracy, better tailoring of services to local needs, and protection of local identity. They noted that Cheltenham Borough Council had voted for that proposal.

Attention was drawn to the government's criteria for assessing the proposals. It was noted that the government would then formally consult with the public and key stakeholders on the options submitted by principal councils across Gloucestershire.

Questions at Cabinet Meetings

Fourteen public questions were received.

David Redgewell asked for assurances that a robust decision on LGR would be made for one unitary council. Councillor Lisa Spivey replied that partners had fed in many factors for consideration during the engagement for building up the options.

David Redgewell asked about the timescale for moving towards a combined authority. Councillor Spivey provided reassurance that the County Council would do everything it could to move towards devolution.

David Redgewell asked for assurances that the Council would be looking at the right model for neighbourhoods and reinforce local arrangements for provision of services. Councillor Spivey replied that it was important to foster communities and that neighbourhood was part of a workstream to ensure that vital parts of community life were not lost. She noted that this was a long process with many areas requiring their own investment and growth over time.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The Cabinet voted to exclude the press and public from the meeting for a specific item of business. This decision was made in accordance with Regulation 4 (2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, as the discussion was likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12 A to the Act. The Cabinet determined that the public interest in withholding the information outweighed the public interest in disclosing it.