New councils confirmed for 14 areas: what the LGR decisions on the 16th July 2026, mean for you

Fourteen decision letters went out to council leaders across England today (16th July 2026). Between them, they set the shape of local government for around half the country's remaining two-tier areas, confirming 38 unitary councils in place of the current patchwork of county and district councils.

We've been advertising public sector jobs since 1999, and we can't recall a single announcement touching this many councils at once.

If you work for one of the affected councils, or you're thinking about applying to one, here's what was actually decided, what happens next, and what it means for you.

What was decided

The Secretary of State confirmed which reorganisation proposal will be implemented in each of these areas:

• Gloucestershire: one unitary council for the whole county
• Derbyshire and Derby: two councils
• East Sussex and Brighton and Hove: two councils
• Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland: two councils
• Nottinghamshire and Nottingham: two councils
• Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent: two councils
• Warwickshire: two councils
• Worcestershire: two councils
• Oxfordshire: three councils
• Devon, Plymouth and Torbay: four councils
• Hertfordshire: four councils
• Kent and Medway: four councils
• Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool: four councils
• Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire: four councils (two of which are the existing North and North East Lincolnshire councils, continuing unchanged)

Each area page in our What's happening in my area section now carries the detail: which districts make up each new council, where boundaries are moving at ward or parish level, and which existing councils will be dissolved.

Two areas are still waiting. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will get a decision by October at the latest, and West Sussex has been told more time is needed. In both cases, the government says the overall timetable still holds.

The dates that matter

Two dates now apply across all 14 areas:

• May 2027: elections to the new councils. These replace any scheduled local elections, and current councillors will have their terms extended.
• April 2028: vesting day, when the new councils take over and the old ones are dissolved.

Between now and then, each area will form a single implementation team drawn from officers across its existing councils, and Parliament will need to approve a Structural Changes Order for each area.

Surrey has already been through every one of these steps. Roughly a year ahead of everyone else, East Surrey and West Surrey go live on 01/04/2027, and our Surrey area guide walks through what each stage looked like in practice.

If you work for an affected council...

Here's the reassuring headline: your job does not disappear because your council does. Staff transfer to the new councils under TUPE, on their existing pay and terms, with continuity of employment and Local Government Pension Scheme membership protected. Check out our 'Council jobs during reorganisation' guide for more detail on this.

The Government published detailed staffing guidance alongside today's decisions, covering transfers, senior appointments and what happens where one council's staff are split between several new ones. In short summary: the framework is designed so that day-to-day work carries on, and the big structural questions get settled well before vesting day.

One honest caveat... Today's decisions confirm structures, not the fine detail. Council names aren't final (the likes of "North Kent" and "Pennine Lancashire" are working titles from the proposals), and staffing structures for the new councils will take shape over the next two years. If certainty matters to you, the regional pages are where we'll post each development as it lands.

And councils are still hiring. Reorganisation doesn't pause the day job, and services need people throughout the transition. You can browse live local government jobs in your area today.

If you're a recruiting team in one of these areas...

You now have a confirmed destination and a hard deadline. The Government has committed more than £1 million per new unitary council, made up of £900,000 in transition support plus up to £150,000 specifically for leadership capacity and continuity in children's services, adult social care and public health. That sits inside £63 million of national capacity funding and a wider package of up to £10 million for leadership development, mentoring and peer support across those same three services. Its new staffing guidance also encourages areas to agree a common approach to vacancies, filling posts internally or through secondments before recruiting externally.

That makes workforce planning, redeployment and internal mobility the immediate priorities, well before the new councils exist. It's the same ground we've been covering with Surrey's councils over the past year, so if it would help to compare notes as your implementation team forms, we'd genuinely like to hear how your area is approaching it.

You can also post vacancies to reach public sector candidates directly, agency-free, as normal throughout the transition.

Where will your council be in April 2028? For 14 areas, that question finally has an answer..

Written by Jobs Go Public

Jobs Go Public is a specialist job board for the public sector, helping councils, government bodies and public service organisations connect with talented candidates. We cover the latest developments in local government to help job seekers and employers navigate the changing public sector landscape.

Last updated: 16th July 2026