Our Interim Plan

The seven district and borough councils of Leicestershire and Rutland County Council have worked closely together to create a bold vision for the future of council structures in the area.

The shared vision is built on a foundation of collaboration, evidence and engagement and puts people and places at the heart of future council structures in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The councils' interim plan is entitled North, City, South: Big Enough to Deliver, Close Enough to Respond.

It 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 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

Some key elements of the plan are summarised below.

However, you can also read our full interim plan as well as the executive summary.

The North, City, South plan 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 new town or parish councils in areas which do not currently have one.

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 in their area 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 insensibly 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. You can have your say now by visiting our engagement section.

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.