Market Harborough
There are currently 10 councils across Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland, including seven district and borough councils, Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, and Rutland County Council. These councils are responsible for a range of local services from housing, planning, and social care for children and adults; to collecting waste and recycling, maintaining roads, and running libraries.
The councils in Leicestershire are currently arranged in a two-tier structure (except for Leicester City Council which is a unitary council), with some services provided by Leicestershire County Council and some provided by the seven district and borough councils.
Rutland County Council has operated as a unitary authority since 1997. With a population of just 41,000, it is one of the smallest unitary authorities in England, borders the two-tier area of Leicestershire, and for a time prior to 1997 was a district within Leicestershire.
The government wants to reduce the number of councils in England by creating a smaller number of unitary councils which would deliver all services in their area. They have instructed Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Councils to submit proposals for restructuring local government in the area.
It follows the publication of the Government's English Devolution White Paper on 16 December 2024.
The paper stated that all remaining two-tier areas in England, as is the case in Leicestershire, should eventually be restructured into single-tier unitary authorities. National government believes that change is needed to make local government more streamlined and sustainable.
In response, Leicestershire's district and borough councils, along with Rutland County Council, have collaborated on an interim plan to make significant changes to the councils that provide services across the area.
The interim plan is called the North, City, South Plan and proposes the creation of three unitary authorities serving a similar number of residents.
