- Introduction to Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution
- Current system of councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
- Future system of councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
- Options for new unitary councils submitted to Government
- Who makes the final decision
- Process so far
- Associated documents and further reading
Take part in the Government's consultation on Local Government Reorganisation in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
The Government is consulting on a range of options submitted by councils in our area that would replace Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire’s existing two-tier system of one county and five district and city councils, with new unitary authorities.
The consultation will close on Thursday 26 March 2026.
To have your say, visit Consultation on Proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (GOV.UK).
Introduction to Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution
On 16 December 2024, we received a letter from Jim McMahon, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution. The letter set out the Government’s plans and process for achieving Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution in England.
View the letter from Jim McMahon (dated 16 December 2024) on the GOV.UK website (opens PDF).
Current status in the Local Government Reorganisation process
In November 2025, all the councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough submitted their preferred options for Local Government Reorganisation to the Government.
Across all seven councils, four options have been submitted. You can view details of the options further down this page.
The Government is now consulting with the public and other stakeholders on the options. The link for the consultation is at the top of this page.
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’.
Options for new unitary councils submitted to Government
All Cambridgeshire and Peterborough councils have been working collaboratively on Local Government Reorganisation. Five options were considered – A, B, C, D and E.
In November 2025, all seven councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough submitted their preferred options to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Option A - two unitary authorities of North-West and South-East
Submitted by Cambridgeshire County Council.
North-West unitary council:
- Fenland
- Huntingdonshire
- Peterborough
South-East unitary council:
- Cambridge City
- East Cambridgeshire
- South Cambridgeshire
Option B - two unitary authorities of North and South
Submitted by Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council.
North unitary council:
- East Cambridgeshire
- Fenland
- Huntingdonshire
- Peterborough
South unitary council:
- Cambridge City
- South Cambridgeshire
Option C - two unitary authorities of East and West
Not submitted by any council as a preferred option.
East unitary council:
- East Cambridgeshire
- Fenland
- Peterborough
West unitary council:
- Cambridge City
- Huntingdonshire
- South Cambridgeshire
Option D - three unitary authorities of Greater Peterborough, Mid Cambridgeshire and Greater Cambridge
Submitted by Peterborough City Council and Fenland District Council.
Greater Peterborough unitary council:
- Peterborough
- West Huntingdonshire
Mid Cambridgeshire unitary council:
- East Cambridgeshire
- East Huntingdonshire
- Fenland
Greater Cambridge unitary council:
- Cambridge City
- South Cambridgeshire
Option E - three unitary authorities of Greater Cambridge, East and Huntingdonshire
Submitted by Huntingdonshire District Council.
Greater Cambridge unitary council:
- Cambridge City
- South Cambridgeshire
East unitary council:
- East Cambridgeshire
- Fenland
- Peterborough
Huntingdonshire unitary council:
- Huntingdonshire
Who makes the final decision
The final decision on which new local government structures are put in place will ultimately be made by the Government.
Process so far
The following dropdown boxes detail the timeline and process of Local Government Reorganisation so far, from a Peterborough City Council perspective.
Associated documents and further reading
- The English Devolution White Paper (opens PDF on the GOV.UK website)
- Letter from Jim McMahon OBE, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution (opens PDF on the GOV.UK website)
- Local Government Reorganisation - invitation to local authorities in two-tier areas - Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (opens GOV.UK website)
- Agenda Item No. 13 D - Local Government Reorganisation - 19 March 2025 (opens PDF on the Democracy Peterborough website)
- Interim Local Government Reorganisation proposal response letter - 21 March 2025 (opens PDF)
- Council leaders issue joint letter on Local Government Reorganisation - March 2025
- Local Government Reorganisation Full Council Report - 23 July 2025 (opens PDF on the Democracy Peterborough website)
- Agenda Item 4 - Joint Meeting of the Scrutiny Committees - 28 October 2025 (opens PDF on the Democracy Peterborough website)
- Documents from Extraordinary Full Council meeting on 12 November 2025 (opens Democracy Peterborough website)
- Documents from Cabinet meeting on 18 November 2025 (opens Democracy Peterborough website) - link includes LGR Business Case and accompanying appendices (see Item 57)
The Local Government Association (LGA) Devolution Hub website 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.
Reports from joint engagement in summer 2025
The seven Cambridgeshire councils ran an initial joint survey in June and July 2025 asking residents for general feedback about local government and their future priorities.
There are three reports that were produced following this survey, which outline details of what people said during the engagement.