What is Future Gloucestershire!

‘Your councils are changing. The government wants to give more power to local areas and simplify how local government works.’

https://futuregloucestershire.org.uk/

Future Gloucestershire is also known as Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution. Simply, the Government is encouraging a move away from three tiers of local government i.e. County, District and Town/Parish towards two-tier delivery of services and facilities i.e. Unitary and Town/Parish – like the model of local government in South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

Back in March, an interim plan setting out three unitary options was submitted to the Government on behalf of the principal councils in Gloucestershire:

• one unitary for the whole county;

• two unitaries, with an east (Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Cotswold) and west (Gloucester, Forest of Dean and Stroud) split;

• two unitaries, one being an enlarged Gloucester city (referred to as ‘Greater Gloucester’), and one being the remainder of the county.

Each of the seven principal councils in Gloucestershire are now working together, with local partners and the town and parish sector, to prepare a final Local Government Reorganisation proposal, ahead of the 28 November 2025 deadline.

The Town Council has also set up a Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution Advisory Group, to advise the Council’s Leadership Group on options and opportunities.

We are keen to be at the forefront of opportunity and believe that the town and parish sector has a key partnership, and supportive, role to fulfil, as we move towards a unitary model of local government.

Cllr Christine Gore who is Chair of the Leadership Group at CTC, as well as chairing our Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution Advisory Group, will work closely with the CEO Andrew Tubb to explore options for working in partnership with the new unitary authority, potential asset transfer and opportunities for directly delivering more services within Cirencester. All options and opportunities will then be formally considered and agreed by Council.