Devolution and LGR: A Guide for Local Authorities

Big changes are coming over the next couple of years for local authorities. These new measures have been positioned as essential to rebuilding and reforming, with the government saying these changes are needed. However, it’s important to note that the English Devolution bill is not the same thing as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), but rather they are both catalysts for greater governmental change to come.  

In this guide, we can help you navigate these new changes and understand the various considerations necessary. Whether you are curious about the timelines or the history of these frameworks, we have it all covered here with the most current information on developments. 

Contents

• English Devolution: A Guide & What to Expect
• Local Government Reorganisation (LGR): A Guide & What to Expect
• How Local Authorities can get ready for change
• Download our latest Local Authority Whitepaper

What is devolution? 

The ‘English Devolution Bill’ is the creation of Strategic Combined Authorities, a new model for local governance combining several local authorities. The main goal of devolution is to achieve universal coverage of Strategic Authorities, involving several councils working together to cover areas that people both recognise and are familiar with.  

In short, devolution is giving more powers and more money to local governments and communities, devolving power from the central government, which has, in recent years, been slow, ineffective and not connected to local communities. For many local authorities, devolution has been the most democratic answer to this challenge. 

However, devolution is not a new concept and has been discussed for decades and more, even in other countries. 

The English Devolution bill: History and timelines 

History 

English devolution has been a suggestion in our government for some time, with it being first proposed in England over a century ago. 

Since then, and despite austerity and insufficient funding for local government over the past 14 years, devolution has been discussed to be the catalyst of positive change the country needs. 

Now, with the English Devolution Bill, we know when this will come into enforcement, whilst the specifics on which councils will become Strategic Authorities are still under consultation and debate over the coming months. 

Timelines 

 Current Parliament Goal – ending 2029 

Recent developments in 2025 onwards: 

English Devolution: Advantages and Considerations 

What is Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)? 

'Local Government Reorganisation' is the creation of unitary authorities from two-tier areas. The new unitary council population of 500,000 or more, and we expect to see stronger community arrangements in the way councils engage, especially with town and parish councils. The LGR has a long-term aim to align public service boundaries and improve the current way local governments operate. 

The English Devolution bill has created a need for LGR, which means now more than ever, government alignment is a necessary step for driving growth and improving local authorities. 

LGR: History and timelines 

History 

In recent years, there have been many proposals to reorganise local government for different areas, going back as far as the ‘60s. Removing two-tier governments is an ambition that hasn’t wavered for fifty years, so recent agreements for LGR signal a huge change to the way the government operates for the first time in history. 

Timelines 

LGR: Advantages and Considerations 

 Will there be any downstream effects on housing? 

Whilst devolution and LGR reorganisation may impact the relationships and roles with suppliers, as some councils transition, we don’t know the full extent of what impact these changes could have. Especially for housing, whilst this remains in the consultation stages. If anything, the ‘English Devolution Whitepaper’ suggested it would only be of benefit to the country and would better address the need for affordable housing. 

For housing and planning, with the new powers and budgets for mayors and Strategic Authorities, mayors will now be able to more easily deliver on commitments (and be held accountable) to building new homes and infrastructure, which will be a boon for local authorities.  

For instance, the promise that Parliament made to deliver 1.5 million homes will now be easier to action as devolution will be hardwired into central government to prioritise housing. 

How local authorities can get ready for change 

For those who are not metropolitan-based, Local Authorities can prepare for devolution and LGR by proactively getting ready in their internal operations for this transition in government.  

In response to these new challenges, we have developed the ‘READY’ framework: a structured checklist authorities can use to navigate LGR changes successfully and transform their Revenues & Benefits operations. 

Our ‘READY’ framework stands for … 

R – Resilience – building sustainable foundations to better support residents. 

E – Engagement – rebuilding resident relationships. 

A – Automation – freeing teams up for more complex work. 

D – Diverse communications – meeting residents halfway and developing unique, multi-channel approaches. 

Y – Yes culture – overcoming innovation paralysis. 

From earlier engagement to automation on outreach, it’s clear that true resilience in LGR means rethinking your operations and building systems that become stronger under stress rather than merely surviving disruption.  

We expand further into this framework and how you can improve your operations and resident outreach overall in our latest Local Authority whitepaper, now available below. 

Download our latest Local Authority Whitepaper 

Prepare for English Devolution and LGR now with the right tools. Discover how you can integrate our READY framework into your operations effectively for engagement transformation and navigate change with solutions optimised for success.  

Voicescape is leading the way for Local Authorities and helping them adapt to changes in the UK. Ultimately, we understand that earlier preparation and intervention are vital. 

Claim your free copy of our new Local Authority Whitepaper (“Readiness is Resilience: A framework for future-proofing revenue collections in an era of change”), and uncover our research into upcoming changes in the UK and how Local Authorities can future-proof their collections. 

In addition, we share how councils can unburden themselves from unprecedented amounts of debt through the power of strategic resident engagement, with real-life case study examples of our Collections for Local Authorities solution.