Not unusually with a new Government, the possibility of local government restructuring has resurfaced, potentially to be included in the forthcoming Devolution White Paper. The idea often comes up at this point in the political cycle, but there hasn’t been a significant restructure since the mid-1990s. Reorganisations since then have only been implemented in specific circumstances, such as the recent changes in greater Dorset and in Suffolk where all involved were in agreement, or the proposals for Northamptonshire CC driven by serious financial issues.

One of the reasons this is difficult territory is that there are competing priorities, most usually described as greater financial efficiency versus increased democratic representation. This makes for legitimate and robust contesting views, and so arriving at a consensus is challenging.