Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), sometimes referred to as local authority reorganisation or local government restructuring, is a government-led programme replacing two-tier county and district council structures in England with new unitary authorities. It covers 21 regions, with new authorities due to formally take on responsibilities (known as "vesting day") from April 2027 for the trailblazer area (Surrey) and April 2028 for the rest. In the run-up to vesting day, "shadow" authorities begin operating as new legal entities, making their own decisions about future systems and services ahead of taking on full responsibility. Throughout this process, councils must continue delivering services without interruption, so successor authorities need a clear understanding of the populations, services, assets and demand pressures they will inherit.

Local Government Reorganisation covers 21 areas of England, affecting county councils, their constituent district councils, and in some areas neighbouring unitary authorities too. Surrey is acting as the trailblazer, with its new authorities formally taking on responsibility from April 2027. All other confirmed areas follow a common timeline: shadow authorities begin operating from May 2027, with new unitary authorities formally taking on full responsibility from April 2028. Not every area has a confirmed structure yet, and a small number face additional uncertainty, including legal challenges to the proposed changes. Councils, staff and residents in affected areas can check with their local authority for area-specific timelines and decisions.

No. While the outcome in every area is a move from two-tier to unitary structures, the starting point and resulting shape vary considerably by region. In some areas, a single county council area is being divided into two or more new unitary authorities. In others, a county council and one or more existing unitary or borough councils are being recombined into a different set of unitary authorities. Some areas also face additional uncertainty, including legal challenges to the proposed structure. Because of this variation, each successor authority is likely to inherit a different mix of populations, services and existing ways of working, which is why understanding what's being inherited is an essential first step before redesigning services.

A successor authority is a new council created through Local Government Reorganisation. It begins life as a "shadow" authority, operating in parallel with the predecessor councils it will replace, before formally taking on full legal responsibility for services, staff and assets on vesting day. From that point, it delivers services to the combined population it inherits. Successor authorities need to understand the needs, demand pressures and approaches they inherit so they can make informed decisions about future services, commissioning, and investment.

LGR affects every part of a council, from governance and finance to service delivery, commissioning and workforce planning. Successor authorities must bring together different organisations, systems, processes, and ways of working while continuing to deliver services throughout the transition. Alongside these organisational changes, councils also need a clear understanding of the populations, demand pressures and service needs they will inherit. Building that evidence base early helps reduce uncertainty, identify priorities, and support better planning throughout the transition.

Alongside its challenges, LGR also provides an opportunity to review inherited approaches, improve consistency, and make more evidence-based decisions. By understanding population need, demand and variation across the future authority or authorities, councils can build stronger foundations for future service design and long-term improvement, rather than simply replicating legacy arrangements.

Preparation starts with understanding rather than redesigning. Before making decisions about future operating models or service delivery, councils should build a clear picture of the people they will support, where demand is concentrated, how needs are changing, and where inherited approaches differ across predecessor authorities. This creates a stronger evidence base for future planning, prioritisation and decision-making.

SEND and Adult Social Care carry particular risks during LGR, because predecessor authorities often use different eligibility criteria, assessment approaches, and funding models to allocate support to individuals. Before redesigning these services, successor authorities need a clear picture of:
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- The population of children, young people or adults they will support
- Current and future demand across SEND and Adult Social Care Service pressures and areas of increasing complexity
- Geographic concentrations of need across the future authority
- Existing assessment and funding approaches used by predecessor authorities
- Areas of variation between predecessor authorities, and what that means for consistency post-transition

Building this evidence base helps councils protect continuity for the people relying on these services, while making informed decisions about future service design, commissioning and resource allocation, rather than simply carrying forward legacy arrangements.

Much of the information councils need already exists within operational data, including assessments, case records and other service information. Together, these records provide valuable insight into population need, service demand, risks of unmet need, and outcomes. The challenge is bringing that information together in a meaningful way so it can support strategic planning across the future authority without requiring significant new data collection.

Successor authorities may inherit different funding models, assessment approaches and patterns of need recorded across predecessor councils' Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and wider SEND provision. Understanding where demand is concentrated, how needs vary across the future authority and where approaches differ can help councils create more consistent, transparent and evidence-based SEND services for children and young people.

Adult Social Care teams may inherit different assessment practices – including how Care Act assessments are carried out and how indicative budgets are calculated – as well as service models and demand profiles across predecessor authorities. Building visibility into population need, service pressures and geographic variation helps councils make more informed decisions about commissioning, service alignment and future delivery.

Yes. Care Act assessments, Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and other case records already capture detailed information about individual needs, circumstances and support arrangements. Read across a predecessor authority's full caseload, this data can reveal patterns in demand, complexity and service pressure that would otherwise take significant new analysis to establish. For councils preparing for LGR, this means the evidence base can be built substantially from records they already hold.

Successor authorities may inherit different funding models, assessment approaches and patterns of need recorded across predecessor councils' Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and wider SEND provision. Understanding where demand is concentrated, how needs vary across the future authority and where approaches differ can help councils create more consistent, transparent and evidence-based SEND services for children and young people.