Nottingham and Nottinghamshire residents invited to share views on future local government reorganisation in county

People across Nottinghamshire are being invited to share their views on the future of local government.

A new six week survey has been launched to gather public feedback on what matters most to residents and organisations across the county, to help shape new authorities’ priorities under local government reorganisation (LGR).

It comes after the UK government began a local government reorganisation process, formally writing to local authorities in February this year asking them to submit proposals for the creation of new ‘unitary authorities’ — which are a single tier of local government responsible for all local services in an area.

Currently, council services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are delivered differently, depending on where you live.

The aim is to create more efficient and effective processes, with the hope of streamlining services and saving money.

In Nottinghamshire local services are currently delivered under what is known as a ‘two-tier’ council structure.

Nottinghamshire County Council oversees county-wide 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 its own ‘unitary authority’, meaning it provides all council services within the city of Nottingham.

Under LGR, 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 to replace the current nine.

Two main options are currently being considered.

Option 1b would combine Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Gedling as one new unitary authority, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire; Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, Bassetlaw and Rushcliffe.

Option 1e would combine Nottingham, Broxtowe, and Rushcliffe as one new unitary authority, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire; Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, Bassetlaw and Gedling.

Newark and Sherwood District Council voted on making option 1e their preference, with a few minor adjustments.

At this stage, no final decision has been made on a single option, and some councils could still make additional proposals alongside the two main options currently being considered.

Nottingham City Council is one of those councils and is currently working up a boundary review option. This looks at the current boundaries, the communities within them and the 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 28 November 2025.

Government will then review proposals before making a final decision on the LGR option for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – as well as other council areas across England – in the Summer of 2026.

The survey will be open until 11pm on Sunday, September 14, and can be accessed online, at: www.lgrnotts.org

The website also offers anyone with an interest in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire the opportunity to learn more about LGR and share their views.