Local Government Reorganisation
The Government has announced its decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Lancashire. This decision, subject to Parliamentary approval, represents the biggest change in local government in more than 50 years.
Under the plans four new unitary councils will be created, replacing all 15 existing councils. The new unitary councils will cover:
- Lancaster, Preston and Ribble Valley
- Fylde, Wyre and Blackpool
- Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Rossendale, Pendle and Burnley.
- Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire
The changes, which are subject to Parliamentary approval, will see the new unitary councils take responsibility for all local services in their areas.
The Government has confirmed that elections to the new shadow councils will take place in May 2027. All councils have been working together to do the necessary preliminary work to prepare for this and there is a team ready to implement the changes needed for the new unitary councils going live on 1 April 2028.
For now, all current 15 councils will continue to provide high-quality services to residents and communities with no immediate changes to how those services are delivered or accessed.
Local Government Reorganisation is part of a wider national programme intended to create simpler and more effective council structures.
The Government has said residents should see no disruption to services as these changes are made, and councillors will continue in their roles representing and supporting their communities throughout the transition.
Further updates, including key milestones and opportunities to ask questions, will be shared over the coming months as plans develop. More information is available at www.lancashirelgr.co.uk.
LGR refers to the process of changing how councils are structured and what services they deliver. In Lancashire, this means potentially replacing the current two-tier system (county and district councils) with new unitary authorities that deliver all local services.
The Government has outlined its ambition to devolve more powers to regions and streamline local governance by replacing the current two tier system with a smaller number of unitary councils to deliver all services in one place.
This means Lancaster will become part of a larger council area with Ribble Valley and Preston.
Currently:
- Lancashire County Council provides services like social care, education, roads, and libraries.
- District councils manage bin collections, planning, housing, and leisure.
These will be replaced by one council to deliver all these services.
Most staff are expected to transfer to the new councils. The aim is to maintain service continuity and job security throughout the transition.
Council Tax levels are set each year by individual councils and are influenced by a range of factors, including government funding and inflation.
At this stage, we can’t confirm anything about future Council Tax. Decisions will be made by the new councils and will be based on providing local residents with high quality services that represent value for money.
Services will continue as normal for now. If reorganisation goes ahead, new councils will take over all services, including bin collections, planning, social care, and education.
No final decision has been made on the new names for the four unitary councils yet.
Some names reported in the media were taken from the successful proposal for four unitary councils.
Councils in Lancashire have until 17 August to respond to the government on our preferred names – and we’ll keep residents informed when we’ve agreed them.
For now, we’ll continue using the simple names of North, East, South and West Lancashire when we refer to the four new unitary councils.
Town and parish councils will still exist when the new unitary councils come into being on 1 April 2028. This level of local councils will continue to provide support at a community level.
There are costs associated with changing council structures, and some government funding has been made available.
The purpose of reorganisation is to create a more sustainable system of local government for the future.
No decisions have been made about council offices. But the major consideration will be ensuring that services remain accessible for residents and that communities continue to have local points of contact for their new councils from 1 April 2028.
LGR focuses on how councils are structured and deliver services. Devolution is about transferring powers from central government to local areas. While related, they are separate processes.
Last updated: 03 August 2026