After a stimulating and thoughtful debate, Forest councillors emphatically rejected all three proposals to reorganise Gloucestershire County and voted ‘none of the above’. Our vote reflected both the views of a majority of district councillors, our town and parish councils and our residents, affirming our commitment to genuine democratic representation.

District councillors voted as follows and this result was ratified by cabinet on 20 November 2025.

7 – Creating a single unitary authority for the whole county

4 – Creating two unitary authorities, based on a West / East division of existing districts

0 – Creating two unitary authorities, based on the Greater Gloucester model.

21 – None of the above

The cost of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is proving considerable. A single authority is projected to cost £21m, two unitaries even more at £30m and the alternative Greater Gloucester model, £27m. All of this from the public purse - whereas choosing none of the above would result in zero cost to the public. By voting for none of the above, Forest District Councillors were expressing their commitment and preference to spend taxpayer’s money wisely and continuing to deliver the services we need in the Forest. In our view LGR is needless, unjustifiable and undemocratic.

Council members argued that Gloucestershire’s electors were being presented with a ‘done deal’, something they did not seek, and which would cost a substantial sum of taxpayer's money. They were concerned there would be no guarantee of service improvements or operational savings; the only noticeable change for many people would be a ‘one stop shop’ for council services. At the same time there would be a dramatic reduction in our democratic representation: 295 Gloucestershire councillors reduced to 110 unitary councillors and maybe 80 over time. All this for a disruptive project that was not even in the government’s pre-election manifesto.

The ‘community empowerment’ component of the proposed reorganisation is certainly not devolution as we would like and understand it, where we take decisions as close as possible to our local communities. Quite the opposite, unitary councils are expected to merge to form a huge and remote combined mayoral authority, which would receive its orders from government, top down not bottom up. As proposed, an elected mayor would be supported by an undemocratic and unelected crew, remote from the people they serve.

Our engagement with town and parish councils and with our residents gave us a clear indication that residents value strong local representation. They want a council that understands the Forest’s needs, and its unique heritage and culture. At this stage, the proposals do not provide enough detail or confidence that these Forest’s aspirations would be sustained. Our decision reflects the need to ensure that any proposal for future governance strengthens, rather than diminishes, the Forest’s voice.

The proposals can be seen on the Future Gloucestershire website at https://futuregloucestershire.org.uk/ and I would encourage residents to engage in the public consultation in early 2026.