I wrote this on the train on the way back from the Local Government Association conference in Liverpool. This annual event sees councillors, officers and sector-supporting businesses from all over the country gather, for three days of sharing best practice, showcasing innovative ways of working, and hearing from MPs and the Secretary of State for Local Government, Angela Rayner.

This year’s event was dominated by discussions regarding Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution. So, what does all this mean for Gloucestershire?

We currently have two levels of local government – six district, borough and city councils and one county council. Central government want us to dissolve those councils and form one or two “unitary” councils delivering all services. They then want us to join with a few other unitary councils to form a Strategic Authority with an elected mayor.

A chance to set up council structures to deliver better services for residents

This is an opportunity to reform how we deliver services and design processes that align with how we live today. Seen through a positive lens, this is a chance to re-imagine council structures and ensure they are set up to deliver better services for residents.

As you might imagine, all of this takes a huge amount of thought, careful data gathering and analysis, and an enormous amount of engagement with the vast array of partners all the councils work with. We haven’t done this kind of restructuring for 50 years, so we all want to make sure we get it right!

Unfortunately, central government haven’t given us any extra funding to carry out all of this work, and the timeline for delivering both the proposals and the subsequent implementation of the chosen model is unbelievably tight.

I am working alongside the other council leaders and officers from across the county to make sure that, whatever the decision from government on how we reorganise, we make any new Gloucestershire Council one which is able to respond to the challenges we face locally, and be the springboard for a thriving Gloucestershire well into the future.

This is work that we are doing whilst also dealing with the wide-ranging everyday work of the council, so there is never a dull moment!