Posted on 4th Aug
People across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are being invited to share their views on the future of local government.
A survey aims to gather public feedback on what matters most to local people and organisations, to help shape new authorities’ priorities.
The survey is being led jointly by all nine councils in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
The decision to launch a local government reorganisation process was taken by central government, which wrote to local authorities in February formally asking them to submit proposals to create new structures of unitary authorities — a single tier of local government responsible for all local services in an area.
The aim is to create more efficient and effective local government, potentially leading to streamlined services and cost savings.
Currently, council services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are delivered differently, depending on where you live.
In Nottinghamshire, local services are currently provided under what is known as a two-tier council structure. Nottinghamshire County Council oversees countywide services, such as social care, education, and road maintenance, while several smaller district and borough councils are responsible for more localised services, including waste collection, and leisure centres.
Nottingham City Council operates as a unitary authority, meaning it provides all council services within the city of Nottingham.
Under local government reorganisation, all nine existing local authorities would be abolished, to create new unitary councils with a higher population of residents. It is being proposed that two new unitary councils should be created for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
Two core options are currently being considered:
1. A new unitary authority combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Gedling, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire — Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, Bassetlaw, and Rushcliffe. This is known as 1b.
2. A new unitary authority combining Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Rushcliffe, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire — Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, Bassetlaw, and Gedling. This is known as 1e.
No final decision has been made on a single option yet, and some councils could still explore additional proposals alongside the two core options currently being considered. For example, Nottingham City Council is working on a boundary review option. This looks at current boundaries, communities within them, and services they access to see if they work well or whether new boundaries may work better.
A spokesperson for the nine councils said: “This is an important opportunity for local people to help shape the future of local government in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
“We are taking a single approach to engagement to ensure we capture a consistent and representative view on what is the biggest shake-up of local government in over 50 years.
“We want to understand what matters most to people and ensure that any future changes reflect the needs and priorities of our communities. We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to complete the survey and have their say.”
The views of people shared in this survey will feed into the development of final proposals, which must be submitted to government by 28th November. Government will then review proposals before making a final decision on the reorganisation option for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire — as well as other council areas across England — in summer 2026.
The survey will be open until 11pm on Sunday, 14th September and offers anyone with an interest in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, from residents to businesses, the opportunity to learn more about local government reorganisation and share their views. The survey is at www.lgrnotts.org
