Major change to local councils delayed as ‘mired in chaos’ government slammed

The county council said the delay will prolong the “current period of uncertainty” faced by locals waiting to find out how services will change

A major decision on how local councils will work in the future has been delayed. The Government advised Cambridgeshire County Council on Thursday (July 16) that it has not yet made a decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

The Government set out clear criteria in 2025 for LGR, including improving service delivery, strengthening local accountability, and ensuring long‑term financial sustainability for future councils. A county council spokesperson said staff at the authority believed that there were clear options that met these criteria.

They said that the delay will prolong the “current period of uncertainty”. They added that this creates increased risk about whether the timescale set out by the Government can be met.

Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, Councillor Lucy Nethsingha, said: “I am deeply disappointed that a decision for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has been delayed, rather than selecting one of the locally developed LGR options that clearly met the Government’s own criteria.

“I also have major concerns that this delay will create a prolonged period of wholly unnecessary level of risk and complexity at a time when our residents and council workers deserve clarity about the future. We will want to reflect carefully on this and consider our options.”

She continued: “Whilst I am deeply disappointed, I am not particularly surprised by this news. This Government has once again demonstrated an inability to make decisions or deliver on time and has, instead, been mired in the chaos of replacing the Prime Minister, all of which have serious impacts upon decision making by Government.

“Shunting this decision to an as yet undetermined point in the future leaves all seven councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in limbo and will leave less time for the existing councils to deliver a safe transition.

“Although we are extremely frustrated by this wholly unnecessary delay, we will continue to work closely with the other six councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and will retain our focus upon ensuring high quality services for our residents and communities.”