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North, City, South - the case for three unitaries
A bold vision which puts people and places at the heart of future council structures in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland was submitted to Government on 21 March 2025.
The seven district and borough councils of Leicestershire and Rutland County Council have worked closely together to create the shared vision which is built on a foundation of collaboration, evidence and engagement.
The plan is in response to the Government’s request for the area to submit interim proposals to reduce the number of councils and replace them with new unitary authorities. It is part of its devolution agenda.
The interim plan is entitled North, City, South: The Natural Choice – Big Enough to Deliver, Close Enough to Respond.
It has been developed by the partnership of councils and proposes three equally-sized unitary councils to deliver all council services.
One would serve North Leicestershire and Rutland, and one would serve South Leicestershire. They would work alongside Leicester City Council.
The district councils and Rutland County Council say their interim proposal will:
- Keep councils connected and accountable to local communities
- Simplify services for residents, businesses, and partners
- Protect the vulnerable and get support to people sooner
- Deliver devolution and economic growth
- Boost efficiency, saving nearly £43 million a year
Factors to consider to meet Government criteria
When drawing up this interim plan, we have carried out an appraisal of different options to meet the Government criteria, unlock devolution and streamline council structures. It is in line with the Government’s aim to replace areas served by district and borough councils and county councils with new unitary authorities delivering all services.
Factors we have considered include:
- How best to unlock devolution and deliver for our region, our places and our neighbourhoods by securing decision-making powers and additional funding
- Getting the right balance between size and maintaining strong local connections with communities, with councils that reflect the way people live their lives and work
- How best to deliver savings and ensure sustainable organisations
- How to ensure social care remains safe and legal, which also better facilitates integration and prevention
- How best to retain local democratic accountability
- How best to ensure a strong focus on neighbourhoods, and community partnerships
- How best to preserve local heritage and civic identities
The options
We have considered four possible options for new council structures. They were:
- A single county unitary for Leicestershire
- Two unitary councils for north and south Leicestershire with Rutland in the south.
- Two unitary councils for north and south Leicestershire with Rutland in the north
- Two unitary councils for east and west Leicestershire
Analysis
When considering the data and evidence gathered so far, and engagement work carried out, the options have been analysed and compared.
The conclusions were:
- A single county unitary is too big and too remote to respond effectively in local communities. It is highly unbalanced when linked to Leicester in terms of population (775,000 for Leicestershire vs 373,000 for Leicester). It is less logically connected to economic drivers outside the county boundary and at risk of a confusing overlap with any future Strategic Authority across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
- A north/south configuration with Rutland in the south is less sustainable in terms of population balance, commuting, housing, and service pressures
- An east/west configuration has an unbalanced population, less sustainable pattern of where people live and work, a less even distribution of existing debt across the three new authorities, and a more unbalanced population density
- A north and south configuration with Rutland in the north offers the best balance in terms of population sizes (around 400,000 per authority). It also best reflects commuting and working patterns and challenges of service pressures including housing. It also best reflects links between towns and villages and across county borders into other economic zones
Engagement
As part of the initial engagement, we have met with a number of strategic and local stakeholders. We also gathered feedback from the public through an online form which received over 4,600 responses.
That online survey found:
- Extensive support for the three-council proposal
- Significant opposition to a single unitary authority
- Enthusiasm to get the future boundaries with Leicester to a level that suited both the City and its wider geography
- The crucial importance of local representation and identity
- Challenges to really achieve cost savings and efficiency
This was an initial piece of engagement work and the online survey is now closed.
Much wider public engagement will follow later in the year.
Conclusion
From this detailed work, the North, City, South option is by far the strongest option and the best way forward for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
It would see creation of three well-balanced unitary authorities in terms of population sizes and best reflects the way people live and work in the area. The links between the towns in the north and south, and their relationship with the wider regional economy are also strong.
Key elements of the North, City, South option
The North, City, South option would see:
- The areas currently served by Charnwood, North West Leicestershire and Melton district and borough councils, and Rutland County Council, would be served by one unitary authority (North Leicestershire and Rutland)
- The areas currently served by Blaby, Harborough, Hinckley & Bosworth and Oadby & Wigston district and borough councils would be served by another unitary authority (South Leicestershire)
- Leicester City would continue to be a unitary authority based on its existing boundaries.
North, City, South would see three well-balanced councils, representing an equal number of residents of around 400,000 each.
Smaller councils excel at understanding community needs and building strong partnerships and our interim plan focusses on working with local partners, including the voluntary sector.
Our plan also actively protects and enhances local interests and character.
To achieve the Government’s directive to streamline councils, it is proposed the two new unitary authorities to the north and south would have 80 councillors each. The city of Leicester would continue to have 54. It reduces the total number of county, city and borough/district councillors across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland from 384 to 214. These are initial indicative figures only.
The new unitary authorities would work closely with parish and town councils to boost grassroots democracy and engagement with communities.
Subject to local views, opportunities would be explored to create town or parish councils in key settlements.
Our plan means that for the first time all residents, businesses and organisations across Leicestershire and Rutland would be in a sensibly sized area with one council to contact for most services, from bins to social care to economic growth.
Our interim plan is about more than savings, but we are clear the changes proposed would deliver efficiencies.
The plan sets out how the North, City, South model would deliver a saving of £43 million a year through a reduction in the number of senior leadership positions and councillors, procurement efficiencies from the economies of scale and the potential opportunities for the rationalisation of some assets or properties.
Critically, there is also significant potential for further savings by putting a greater focus on preventative services and reducing demand.
There are three existing social care teams already and our plan would be to retain these but require them to scale up and down according to the new boundaries.
Having three evenly-balanced teams focused on their areas will support partnership working and allow a greater focus on prevention.
With three sets of expert staff already in place it will make the scaling up and down of services easier than in other areas. Our interim plan also places a much greater focus on prevention and helping people live healthier and more independent lives which also reduces demand.
Our plan would bring partners together to ensure people get the help and support they need.
We will better connect the different services such as social care, housing and health and work more closely with communities, including the voluntary and community sector (VCS) to deliver.
This collaboration will enhance community support systems, promote resilience and independence among older adults, and reduce pressure on social care services. The greater involvement of the VCS can also help make services more personalised and responsive to local needs.
This approach is better than having one large council which may not understand local needs or work as effectively at the local neighbourhood level to leverage voluntary and community assets.
The North, City, South model best fits the Government’s devolution agenda and will help unlock the region’s economic potential, delivering millions of pounds of public and private sector investment.
The three similarly-sized councils best fit the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland footprint and be part of a new strategic authority to help deliver key strategic economic aims.
The three councils would offer the best balance in terms of being big enough to deliver economic priorities but also have that local understanding and relationships to form effective partnerships to support growth.
Business support services such as environmental health, food safety and trading standards would be delivered by one council in sensibly sized geographies and again combine that strength of scale while retaining local knowledge and understanding.
It would also simplify the planning system to support growth while retaining local knowledge, accountability and community voice.
Through unprecedented collaboration by the district and borough councils of Leicestershire and Rutland County Council, we are shaping the future of local government.
We have already engaged with thousands of residents and with key stakeholders, businesses, partners and organisations to help draw up this interim plan.
The level of engagement will broaden and intensify as we seek to have deep meaningful conversations to ensure we get this right for everyone in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
The interim plan submitted to Government is built on a foundation of collaboration which not only means the creation of a strong and bold plan for the future but also would help the smooth transition into new structures.
Now the interim plan has been submitted to government, we are now working on developing that plan into a full proposal by November 2025.
That means gathering more data and evidence and wider public engagement through the summer.
Government is due to consult on a final proposal and then make a final decision in 2026 with new unitary authorities to be in place by 2028.
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Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions regarding Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
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Government feedback to the interim plan
Read the Government's feedback to the proposals submitted by council across Leicester Leicestershire and Rutland
If you want to be kept informed, you can also sign up for updates here.