Council jobs during reorganisation: What you need to know

Right now, the news is frequently focusing on councils because of the local government reorganisation (LGR). At the time of writing, 14 counties are about to open consultations about their proposed new unitary council structures.

1.97 million people work in councils in the UK, and LGR in England is the biggest restructure in the sector in decades. This shakeup brings with it a lot of uncertainty for the current workforce.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• What LGR means for local government careers,
• your rights under the TUPE regulations,
• and whether you should apply for council roles in affected areas.

Still not sure what local government reorganisation means? Don’t miss our plain English guide here.

Are council jobs safe during local government reorganisation?

With so much change on the horizon, it's natural to wonder what this means for your job.

The good news is that most local authority roles will remain secure through reorganisation. Legal protections exist to ensure your employment transfers automatically to the new council.

The government has also made it clear that councils must maintain service quality throughout the transition. This means keeping experienced staff in post.

This is particularly true for frontline and operational roles in areas like social care, housing, and planning. These services are statutory requirements, and councils need skilled people to deliver them. If anything, the aim of LGR is to protect and strengthen these functions, not reduce them.

Where there's more uncertainty is in corporate and support functions. These are roles like HR, finance, IT, and senior management. In the current two-tier system, these roles exist in both county and district councils, meaning there's natural duplication. When councils merge, they'll need to combine some of these roles too.

But regardless of which function you work in, legal protections apply to everyone transferring to a unitary council. These protections, called TUPE regulations, are designed to ensure your employment continues with the same terms. Understanding how they work can help put your mind at ease.

Does TUPE apply to local government reorganisation?

The main protection for council employees during LGR is the TUPE Regulations. This stands for Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment).

The government made TUPE applicable to councils in 2008 as part of the Local Government Staffing Regulations. This ensures that local authorities are protecting employees during LGR programmes.

What does TUPE actually mean for me?

In simple terms, TUPE regulations protect the terms in your employment contract when staff transfers occur. This means that terms like your working hours, salary, and annual leave can’t change just because you’re working under a new council.

For any changes to take place, your new employer must have a genuine business reason for doing so.

You also have a right for councils to consult you during the transfer. Your employer must inform you about why the transfer is happening, when it will happen, and what changes they are planning. This isn’t optional; it’s a legal requirement.

Will I have to move to a new location?

Your normal place of work is part of your terms and conditions, so it transfers with you. However, combining offices is common during mergers, and changes may be possible later if there's a genuine business reason.

If you are worried about changes to where you work, check if your contract has a mobility clause. Trade union members can speak to their rep for individual advice. Or, you can raise questions through your council's HR team or staff consultation forums.

Can I be made redundant during a council merger?

We understand you’ll have worries about council merger redundancy, but TUPE protects your rights. Under TUPE, your new council cannot make you redundant just because the transfer is happening.

However, redundancy is still possible if there’s a genuine “ETO” reason (economic, technical, or organisational).

Duplicate roles in the new unitary authorities will be the main risk. This will mostly affect senior management and corporate functions like HR, finance, and IT. When councils merge, they won’t need multiple heads of HR or finance directors.

While some restructuring is likely, redundancy isn’t inevitable.

Your council will likely seek voluntary redundancies first. Long-serving staff approaching retirement may find this option attractive thanks to the terms of the Local Government Pension Scheme (see next section).

Compulsory redundancies are a last resort measure, and councils must follow a proper consultation process.

What happens to my pension during reorganisation?

Your pension will be safe during local government reorganisation.

Your membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) will continue, because your new council will also be an LGPS employer. Your years of service will continue to count as one unbroken period. In essence, what will change is which organisation administers the pension.

If you’ve been in the scheme for a significant period, you may also have “final salary” benefits. The Staffing Regulations ensure that those benefits will still be linked to your pay under the new council.

What about in the case of redundancies?

Under the terms of the LGPS, if you're over 55 and made redundant, you can access your pension immediately. Your pension pot will not be reduced for taking it early (note, the age threshold will rise to 57 in 2028).

This is why voluntary redundancy is often an attractive option for long-serving staff approaching retirement. In previous reorganisation projects, voluntary redundancy has proven to be oversubscribed, with more staff applying than the councils have needed.

Should I apply for a council job during LGR?

A common concern we're hearing from job seekers is whether it's worth applying for jobs during reorganisation.

You may be wondering “is it worth moving jobs right now if everything’s about to change?”

The short answer is yes – and here's why.

Services need to continue

Council restructures don’t mean that they suddenly stop delivering services. Councils deliver crucial services for local communities, and these don't stop during a restructure. Frontline and operational roles are just as important during LGR as they always have been.

In fact, some councils are actively encouraging applications. Surrey County Council's advice to applicants states that now is 'an excellent time to join' as they plan reorganisation.

Local government reorganisation is creating new roles

Restructuring also creates new opportunities. During the period of transition, councils will need to conduct workforce planning. This creates brand new roles in transformation, programme management, and change management.

They may also create new area teams that act as community hubs to keep unitary councils in touch with the towns they serve.

Unitary authorities will also be able to reinvest savings from cutting duplicate roles in the long term. This will create more funding for high-priority areas that need more resources. These include departments that cover frontline work like adult social care, children’s social care, and climate change initiatives.

A chance to make a direct impact

Working for your local council during this time gives you a chance to help create real change in your community.

If you join now, you could participate in consultations for proposed structures, have your say in service design, and be a voice for how your area manages its services going forward.

Your contract is also covered by TUPE

Just like existing staff, your role will transfer under TUPE to the new unitary authority. Your employment rights are protected from day one – there's no 'last in, first out' rule.

How long will the changes take?

It's natural to worry about sudden upheaval, but the reality is more gradual. Local government reorganisation is a process that will unfold over several years.

The key date to look out for is "vesting day". This is when the new unitary councils legally come into existence. Depending on your area, this will be either April 2027 or April 2028.

But vesting day is just the formal starting point. In practice, you'll likely continue working in much the same way for some time afterwards. Integrating IT systems, aligning pay structures, combining offices, and merging workplace cultures takes years, not months.

Here's a rough sense of the timeline:

Now: Councils are developing proposals, consulting with staff, and beginning workforce planning.

2026-2027: Shadow councils will start forming in some areas, with elections to determine new leadership. Detailed planning for the transition continues.

2027/2028: Vesting days will occur in April of 2028 (Surrey plans theirs for 2027). This is when new councils officially launch. Your employment transfers to the new authority.

Beyond: Practical integration continues. Teams may gradually merge, systems will be aligned, and new ways of working will bed in over the following two to four years.

Each area is moving at a different speed. Check your council's internal messages for timelines that apply to you. You can also track the full progress of local government reorganisation across England on our updates page.

Key takeaways

Local government reorganisation is a significant change, but it doesn't have to be a source of anxiety.

Your employment is protected under TUPE transfers. Your pension will continue. Redundancies, where they happen, are typically voluntary and focused on duplicate corporate roles, not the frontline services that communities depend on.

If you're considering applying for a council role, don't let reorganisation put you off. Councils are still recruiting, and joining now means you could help shape the future of local public services in your area.

Find more resources on LGR at our local government reorganisation hub

Browse LGR jobs on Jobs Go Public

Written by Jobs Go Public

Jobs Go Public are a job board specialising in recruitment for the public sector. Launching in 1999, we’ve worked with councils across the UK for more than 2 decades, developing a deep understanding of the sector’s unique job market challenges.