Background
Lancashire is currently made up of 15 councils which includes one county council, two unitary councils, and 12 district councils:
- The County Council - provides county-wide services such as education, highways, and social care on behalf of district councils: Lancashire County Council
- Unitary Authorities - provide all services in their area, these are: Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council
- District Councils – provide local services such as housing, waste collection, and planning, these are: Burnley Borough Council, Chorley Council, Fylde Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, Lancaster City Council, Pendle Borough Council, Preston City Council, Ribble Valley Borough Council, Rossendale Borough Council, South Ribble Borough Council, West Lancashire Borough Council, and Wyre Council
In December 2024, central government produced a White Paper (a consultation document) outlining its ambitions to be introduced in the English Devolution Bill for the reform of local government, including local government reorganisation, which aims to simplify governance, reduce costs, and enhance service delivery.
In February 2025, the 15 councils across Lancashire were invited to submit proposals for LGR by November 2025. The proposals would replace the existing councils with larger unitary authorities, each serving around 500,000 residents. The new unitary councils were expected to become operational from April 2028.
Following consideration of the proposals submitted, the Government announced its decision on the future structure of local government in Lancashire in July 2026.
In September 2026, the Government announced a review of the LGR programme and paused implementation of the decisions. The future timetable and next steps for LGR in Lancashire will be considered as part of this review.
Local government reorganisation is separate from the devolution process. You can find more details about the differences between devolution and LGR here - The devolution and LG reorganisation hub | Local Government Association.