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The English Devolution White Paper: Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth sets out the Government's agenda to increase and expand devolution across all parts of England. In addition, it also sets out proposals to take forward Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in areas where there are two-tier local authorities, like Cambridgeshire. Neighbouring councils such as Peterborough are also included.

On 16 December 2024, we received a letter from Jim McMahon, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution. The letter sent to all two-tier councils and neighbouring unitary authorities sets out clear process and milestones.

What is devolution?

In England, devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. It is important because it ensures that decisions are made closer to local people, communities and businesses. Cambridgeshire benefits from an existing devolution deal through the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA). Through the white paper, the Government aims to establish devolution deals for all areas in England.

What is Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)?

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is the process in which the structure and responsibilities of local authorities are reconfigured. 

The Government has set out plans to move away from the current two-tier system of district and county councils in England. This is relevant to Cambridgeshire County Council and the five district councils in the county (Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council). It is also relevant to Peterborough City Council as a neighbouring unitary council.

Local services in Cambridgeshire will be delivered by one or many unitary authorities. A single tier of local government.

Current system of councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, we have a mixture of county and district councils, as well as one unitary authority council. Each has its own specific duties and responsibilities for providing services for its authority area.

Cambridgeshire County Council is the shire authority. It is responsible for services that cover the whole county, excluding Peterborough, such as:

  • Social care
  • Education
  • Highways
  • Libraries
  • Household Recycling Centres
  • Trading Standards
  • Registrations
  • Public health

The district councils are:

  • Cambridge City Council
  • East Cambridgeshire District Council
  • Fenland District Council
  • Huntingdonshire District Council
  • South Cambridgeshire District Council

The district councils provide local services such as:

  • Waste collection
  • Housing
  • Environmental health
  • Leisure facilities
  • Planning applications
  • Council tax
  • Business rates
  • Licensing

Peterborough City Council is a unitary authority. It provides all the services of a county and district council for the city of Peterborough in a single tier of local government.

Future system of councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

From April 2028, the current seven councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will be replaced and no longer exist. Rather than dealing with separate county, city and district councils, residents will access all services through a unitary council. At this stage, no decisions have been made on how many unitary councils will cover the county and which geographical areas they will cover.

We anticipate that ‘shadow’ unitary authority councils would be established 12 months in advance of any handover to new unitary authorities. This ensures that new arrangements can be put in place without interrupting services to residents.

A shadow authority is elected to carry out the functions of a new unitary council until that authority formally comes into effect, on what is commonly called ‘vesting day’.

Where areas have parish and town councils, these will not be affected. They will continue to operate as they do now.

It is too early to indicate what might happen with regards to council tax levels when any new unitary authority is in place.

Timeline

This is an outline of the timeline provided by the Government in the White Paper. It includes proposed and confirmed dates. Dates become confirmed as we receive updates.

Key dates for the council's engagement activities are also listed.

  • Confirmed - 5 February 2025 - statutory invitation received from Government to submit unitary proposals
  • Confirmed - 21 March 2025 - interim LGR proposal response submitted
  • Confirmed - 19 June 2025 - LGR engagement survey launched
  • Confirmed - 20 July 2025 - LGR engagement survey closed
  • Confirmed - 28 November 2025 - deadline to submit full LGR proposal
  • Proposed - April / May 2027 - elections for shadow authorities
  • Proposed - April 2028 - vesting day for new unitary councils

Key updates

On Wednesday 5 February we received our formal invitation to submit Local Government Reorganisation proposals. These proposals will bring together lower and upper tier local government services in new unitary councils. The letter sent from Jim McMahon OBE, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution sets out the criteria against which proposals will be assessed and further guidance on what information the proposals should include.

It also confirms when we have to submit our proposals back to Government by. Interim proposals due on or before 21 March 2025 and full proposals by 28 November 2025. These are stated in the timeline above.

At our Full Council meeting on Wednesday 19 March 2025, councillors debated the future structure of local government in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, focusing on how best to deliver efficient, high-quality services for residents. Councillors received a progress report from our Chief Executive, Matt Gladstone. This report provides an overview of the progress made to date.

View Item 13d. Local Government Reorganisation (opens PDF on the Democracy Peterborough website).

On Friday 21 March 2025, council leaders across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough sent a letter to the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution. This letter sets out progress on plans to move towards a new system of local government.

View a copy of our response letter below.

On Thursday 19 June 2025, an LGR engagement survey launched to attract feedback on council reorganisation. The survey closed on Sunday 20 July 2025. A summary of what you told us as part of the survey will be shared soon.

At our Full Council meeting on Wednesday 23 July 2025, councillors received an update on the progress of the Local Government Reorganisation process for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area. This report provides an overview of the progress made to date. 

View the LGR Full Council report (opens PDF on the Democracy Peterborough website).

What is happening now

At Peterborough City Council, we are working closely with council leaders from across Cambridgeshire. We are meeting regularly to develop a shared evidence base that can inform proposals. We took this approach to submit our interim proposal response letter (see document below) and will continue as outlined in our joint statement.

Throughout the LGR process, our focus will remain on delivering essential services across the whole of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Who makes the final decision

The deadline to submit proposals to the Government is the end of November 2025. 

The final decision on which new local government structures are put in place will ultimately be made by the Government.

Further reading

The LGA Devolution Hub has further information and resources. This includes a list of regularly updated devolution and local government reorganisation frequently asked questions. You can find updates on the current devolution framework and devolution deals agreed between Government and local areas.

Last updated: 05 August 2025