On 16/07/2026 19:31, Daniel Hatton via Talk-GB wrote:
(Incidentally, my understanding is that, because the existing local authorities in Cambridgeshire are not all agreed on a single scheme, new primary legislation will be needed to empower central government to impose one of the schemes, and I think it unlikely that will be done in time for May 2027 elections, if indeed an incoming Burnham administration proceeds with it at all.)
None of the changes will require primary legislation, and there's no requirement for the affected areas to have a single preferred set of changes. There was no single agreed scheme in Worcestershire, but the government went ahead anyway and chose its preferred option from the two on the table.
But the relevant legislation (The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007) requires the Secretary of State to fully consult with the affected areas, and make a decision on which proposal to accept where there are multiple proposals. The problem with Cambridgeshire, AIUI, is not simply that there is no consensus, but more that none of the four competing options were felt to meet the government's criteria.
As for whether it will go ahead, LGR was initially Angela Rayner's baby when she was Starmer's MHCLG secretary of state. There was some doubt as to whether it would continue under her successor, Steve Reed, when she had to resign following the stamp duty issue, but as it happened it did continue. Now that she's back in the role under Burnham, she's almost certainly going to press ahead with it.
But there's likely to be a change of emphasis. Rayner's original blueprint called for larger authorities of at least half a million people. Reed was more sympathetic to arguments for smaller unitaries, and has accepted proposals (eg, in Worcestershire) which don't meet that initial requirement. With Rayner back in charge, it's more likely that bigger will again be seen to be better. This is likely to affect places like Cambridgeshire, where Reed had deferred making a decision.
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