Shire Hall officials in Gloucestershire have proposed preferred names and the number of councillors for the county’s new councils as part of significant local government restructuring planned over the next two years.
Under government proposals aimed at simplifying local government and strengthening authority, the existing district councils in Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Stroud, and Tewkesbury would merge with Gloucestershire County Council. This reorganization could see the creation of either a single unitary council or multiple councils responsible for all local services.
At a recent cabinet meeting, Shire Hall leaders discussed potential names and councillor allocations for these new authorities as they prepared their formal response to the Government’s structural change order.
READ MORE: Life in Oddington: Inside One of the UK’s Most ‘Posh’ Cotswolds Villages
READ MORE: Cheltenham Car Boot Sale Approved Despite Cycle Path Safety Concerns
One option envisions a single council representing the entire county, ideally named Gloucestershire Council, with 110 councillors across 55 wards.
Alternatively, the county might be divided into two unitary authorities: one in the East and one in the West. The proposed names for these are East Gloucestershire Council and West Gloucestershire Council, with councillor counts of 52 and 58 respectively.
Previously, Cheltenham Borough Council leaders suggested alternative names, such as Cheltenham and Cotswolds Council for the east, and Gloucester, Forest and the Stroud Valleys Council for the west.
A third option, backed by Gloucester City Council, involves creating a Greater Gloucester Council encompassing the city and surrounding areas alongside a separate authority covering the rest of Gloucestershire. These would have 52 and 81 councillors respectively and be named Greater Gloucester Council and Gloucestershire Council.
Council leader Lisa Spivey remarked that naming was one of the cabinet’s most discussed topics. “There was broad agreement that a single unitary would be called Gloucestershire Council,” she explained. “For an East/West split, East Gloucestershire Council and West Gloucestershire Council are preferred. For the Greater Gloucester model, Greater Gloucester Council and Greater Gloucestershire Council make things straightforward.”
Spivey also noted that the newly established shadow authorities would have the option to change their names once formed.
The Government is expected to announce its final decision on Gloucestershire’s local government reorganization plan in July. Following this, elections for the new councils will be held in May 2027, and the structural changes will be implemented in April 2028, at which point the existing county, city, and district councils will be dissolved.