ALL council services in Gloucestershire will be provided by a single “unitary” authority from 2028, the government has confirmed.

It will replace the current structure of the county council and six district councils.

Elections to the new authority are expected to take place in May next year.

The other alternatives - to create a ‘Greater Gloucester’ or split the county into ‘East’ and ‘West’ have now been ruled out.

District councillors in the Forest of Dean voted rejected the options amid concerns that the process will ultimately erode local democracy.

MPs in the county were split over their preferred option with Forest MP Matt Bishop and his Labour colleagues Alex McIntyre (Gloucester) and Simon Opher (Stroud) and backing the East-West split along with Liberal Democrat Max Wilkinson (Cheltenham).

Lib Dems Roz Savage (South Cotswolds) and Cameron Thomas (Tewkesbury) and Conservative Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (North Cotswolds) backed the single unitary proposal.

Councillor Vernon Smith, leader of the Reform UK Group at Gloucestershire County Council, has spoken out against the process stating: "Nobody in Gloucestershire voted for this. This reorganisation was imposed from Whitehall, and residents were never given a referendum on the future of their own local government. That is not how Reform UK would have done it.

“That said, of the options on the table, a single council for the whole of Gloucestershire is the least damaging outcome.

“It avoids carving the county in two, avoids duplicating chief executives, directors and administrative bureaucracy, and it matches what the overwhelming majority of residents who responded to the consultation actually said they wanted.

“But warm words about savings mean nothing unless they are delivered. Reorganisations of this kind have a habit of costing taxpayers a fortune in consultants, redundancy payments and rebranding before a single penny is saved.

“Reform UK will be watching every pound of transition spending like a hawk, and we will oppose any attempt to use reorganisation as cover for council tax rises or cuts to frontline services.

“The new council will start with a blank sheet of paper.

“In May 2027, the people of Gloucestershire will decide who writes on it.

“Reform UK will stand ready with candidates in every corner of this county, offering a council built on transparency, fiscal discipline and common sense rather than the waste and ideology residents have endured for too long.”

Gloucester MP Alex McIntyre said: "I welcome the announcement of the government's decision on Local Government Reorganisation which gives us some much needed clarity.

“Throughout this process there have been strong views on different sides of the argument, but I think it's important now that we all come together behind this new authority.

“It is in all our interests to ensure it is a success.

“We need to see more action on improving public services.

“I have lost count of the number of constituents who have been let down by the County Council on issues like SEND, and any driver will tell you that our roads are riddled with potholes.

“Competing road closures continue at awkward times with a lack of thought as to how they will affect residents, and the recent plans to start charging at the tip show a growing problem with residents being asked to foot the bill for more and more services. Again, this has to change.

All three proposals developed in Gloucestershire were considered by ministers after each received the backing of at least one council.

The Government wants to see district authorities merged with county councils in England as part of their drive to simplify local government and create stronger local councils.

Gloucestershire County Council has been working with the six borough, district and city authorities over the last year to develop options for the ministers to review.

All options involve merging the districts with Shire Hall and creating one or more unitary councils providing all of their services

The unitary authority would be made up of 110 councillors.

The current district authorities in Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Stroud and Tewkesbury will be merged with Gloucestershire County Council.

Under the East-West split, the Forest would have been in the west with Gloucester and Stroud with 58 councillors.

A separate plan for two unitary authorities was developed by Gloucester City Council. This would involve a Greater Gloucester council with a separate unitary for the rest of the county. This would have 52 councillors for Greater Gloucester based on 18 Gloucester City wards and new wards for surrounding parishes and 81 for the rest of Gloucestershire, based on two per county council divisions.

A single council was expected to save nearly £21m per year, with £164m in net savings over the next 10 years while two unitary councils would save just under £11m a year, with more than £55m saved in 10 years.

The ‘One Gloucestershire’ option was supported by the county council, Cotswold District Council, Tewkesbury Borough and Stroud District Council.

Cheltenham Borough Council supported the East-West proposal while City Council leaders agreed to submit their Greater Gloucester scheme to ministers.