Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is not just a structural reform. It is a people challenge, a leadership test and, if handled well, a rare opportunity to rethink how public services are delivered.
The current programme goes beyond previous reforms in its ambition to remove the remaining two-tier system of county and district councils. Ministers have framed this as a once-in-a-generation change, designed to simplify decision-making, improve services and support the wider devolution agenda.
The financial case is significant with some analysis suggesting potential savings of between £1.8 billion and £2.9 billion over five years, mainly by reducing administrative overlap and creating larger, more resilient organisations.
However, numbers alone will not make this reform succeed. The real test will be whether councils can bring together dozens of legacy bodies, cultures, systems, contracts and workforces without losing the trust of employees or the confidence of the communities they serve.
Want a clearer view of what LGR could mean for workforce planning, service continuity, agency demand and procurement control? Download Comensura’s report, Local Government Reorganisation Impact: A New Era for Local Authorities?, for practical insight into the risks, opportunities and workforce priorities local authorities need to consider now.
A local authority reform that will be felt personally
From a workforce management perspective, LGR is as much about people as structures. Reorganisation may make sense on paper, but for employees who have served their communities for years, it can feel deeply personal. Roles, reporting lines and familiar teams may change, while people continue to carry the pressure of stretched services, rising demand and past crises, including the pandemic.
Some will see opportunity; others will worry about security, workload, status and whether hard-won local knowledge will still be valued. Those concerns deserve more than a passing acknowledgement.
Many teams are already working with systems in need of updating and complex processes, so asking them to deliver business as usual while shaping a new authority is a major ask. If leaders underestimate that strain, they risk losing trust and burning people out before the new organisations have even opened their doors.
Why workforce management preparation has to start early - ahead of LGR
Workforce management during LGR must move to the front of the change agenda. Councils should start now by mapping roles, skills, locations, contracts, working patterns, agency usage, vacancies, capacity risks and critical knowledge. Build one reliable workforce view, then use it to spot overlaps, close gaps and protect services that depend on small groups of experienced people.
Track contingent labour, overtime, sickness absence and recruitment pressure before they become bigger risks. Early, evidence-led workforce planning gives leaders the confidence to act decisively, engage employees and unions openly, reduce disruption and make fair, practical decisions throughout transition.
It also helps leaders communicate with confidence, which will be vital as any gaps in knowledge are likely to be filled by rumours and speculation.
The opportunity to modernise through LGR
Despite understandable caution, LGR brings real promise. Larger unitary authorities can create the scale to improve workforce planning, strengthen talent pipelines, modernise HR systems and bring greater consistency to recruitment, training and deployment. With the right focus, they can build specialist capability across housing, transport, social care commissioning, economic development and digital transformation.
A new model could create broader career pathways, better secondments and stronger professional communities, helping local authorities to retain talented people amid public sector skills shortages. But modernisation will need to combine scale with local insight, using data to plan more intelligently while still listening to frontline teams and protecting what makes services work.
A cautious optimism for workforce management through LGR
LGR carries real risk, but risk is not a reason to wait. It is a reason to lead. For councils, workforce management must become a strategic discipline, not an administrative afterthought. The authorities that succeed will act early, use data intelligently, listen closely to their people and protect the local knowledge that keeps services moving.
I believe this is where reorganisation will be won or lost. Get the people plan right, and LGR can reduce duplication, strengthen capability, tackle public sector skills shortages and give teams the confidence to deliver through change. Get it wrong, and the reform becomes another pressure point. Plan boldly, communicate honestly and put workforce resilience at the heart of every decision.
LGR can become a chance to build stronger councils, better services and more resilient public sector workforces for the future.
Looking to get ready for change?
Email us today to hear back from Josh Harrop, Client Solutions Manager at Comensura, and discuss how your organisation can get ready for change, strengthen contingent workforce management, and build approaches that support a smooth transition.
