On 16 December 2024, central government published a White Paper on the topic of devolution – transferring powers from government to local or regional authorities.

They proposed that each area should elect Mayors, where they don’t currently have one, like Warwickshire.

This approach means that additional power is given to the mayor and local government who know their areas best, giving them more control over decision-making and implementation of services.

The government also outlined plans to create more unitary councils to simplify and streamline local government.

How local government is structured now

Warwickshire has a 2-tier structure of local government: the county council and 5 district and borough councils.  The county council is responsible for services such as adult social care and children’s services across the county.  District and boroughs provide services in their area. Some functions are shared between the county and the district.

How would LGR affect Warwickshire?

To unlock the devolution of further local powers and elect a mayor, some areas need to reorganise first. This means creating unitary councils to simplify and streamline local government. This includes us in Warwickshire.

Unitary councils are responsible for the services currently delivered by the county council and district and borough councils. In Warwickshire this would mean dissolving all the existing councils and combining services into one or two unitary councils. Having fewer councils creates efficiency, clarifies service delivery and saves money.