A membership body for council lawyers is standing ready to support members through a ‘period of uncertainty’ following housing secretary Angela Rayner’s decision to halt a major overhaul of local government.
An English Devolution white paper published by the Starmer administration in December 2024 announced that the government would facilitate a programme of ‘local government reorganisation’, Whitehall’s agenda to replace the two-tier system with single-tier unitary councils.
Several councils commenced or were considering legal action. On Monday, housing secretary Angela Rayner announced she was pausing the reform programme.
‘I recognise the work that local authorities, members of the house and others have put into getting us to this point, but when I took over the role recently and the prime minister asked me to look again at the reform, and upon receiving legal advice, I wanted to satisfy myself as the secretary of state that the process was robust and legally sound,’ she told MPs.
A snap poll taken at a Lawyers in Local Government (LLG) conference in June found local government reorganisation to be the biggest challenge facing local authority legal teams.
LLG president Helen Bradley said: ‘Local government reorganisation is the most significant change in local government in recent times. Such changes must be grounded in good governance, legally compliant decision-making, and ethical leadership. The decision to pause and reflect has been taken by the government and local authorities will now need to pivot and engage with the next steps.
‘Good governance dictates that sound decisions are made for the right reasons, through the right process and with the long-term interests of communities at their heart. Good governance is also about creating the conditions for sustainable, accountable, and deliverable change.
‘LLG will be supporting our membership through this period of uncertainty; taking the time to listen, evaluating the evidence, understanding the legal position and working with stakeholders to facilitate responsible effective leadership within the sector.’
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