Council reorganisation plans withdrawn by Angela Rayner after new legal advice

Angela Rayner has withdrawn decisions on flagship local government reorganisation as the government launches a review of the plans following new legal advice. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the review is to ensure the process is robust, and aligns with the new government's aim to 'rewire the state' while also following "updated and privileged legal advice'. Local government secretary Rayner addressed MPs on Monday afternoon with some cheers heard from opposition benches when she listed the councils impacted. "In light of legal advice, I want to satisfy myself firstly that the right process is in place, that it is robust, and of course complies with the law," Rayner said. She continued: "And secondly, I want to fully test whether our proposals for local government reorganisation meet the priorities of a new administration and a new prime minister and any additional considerations." The plans included the amalgamation of councils to create new authorities, with the potential to delay some local elections to allow for the changes to be processed before voters go to the polls. They were originally drawn up under Sir Keir Starmer's government and former secretary of state Steve Reed. At least eight councils have launched legal challenges or were considering to do so due to opposition to the government's choice of footprints for new councils. Reform UK-led Kent County Council is set to consider a judicial review at a meeting on Tuesday after it did not receive a response from the government to a letter setting out concerns. Plans for reorganisation in Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk have been withdrawn in the light of new legal advice. Decisions on 14 further areas will be reviewed and paused alongside the cases of Cambridgeshire ang Peterborough and West Sussex, which are yet to have a decision confirmed. The government has also confirmed that local elections in May 2027 will go ahead on existing council boundaries, saying it remains committed to effective and sustainable local government and simplifying these structures. MHCLG said the planned reorganisation in Surrey will not be affected by the review and the two new unitary authorities, East and West Surrey, will still go live in April 2027. Subscribe for free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. David Simmonds, the Conservative shadow local government minister, repeated his party's claim that reorganisation plans were a Labour attempt at 'gerrymandering'. He said: 'This is yet another total humiliation for this Labour government, who have once again been exposed breaking the law in an attempt to force their top-down programme of local government reorganisation on communities. 'Ministers are only backing off because they have been found out in the face of relentless Conservative opposition to their gerrymandering. 'Their behaviour shows that Burnham and Rayner's promise to empower local communities is completely hollow: their intention was always to dictate downwards. 'Labour should come clean and put all non-privileged documentation about this process in the public domain. The public have a right to know the truth.' Reform UK has claimed credit for the government's decision to halt the process, with the party leading county councils in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex which all launched legal challenges to reorganisation. Reform leader Nigel Farage said: 'Reform UK not only argued that this government's plans for local government reorganisation were an unmitigated disaster, but we once again put our money where our mouth is. 'Earlier this year we took on the Government and forced them to give the vote back to millions of people after Labour tried to cancel democracy. 'Now, thanks to our judicial reviews in affected Reform-led councils, the Government has backed down on their plans yet again. Rayner said she wanted to satisfy herself that the "right process is in place" Credit: PA 'Only Reform had the backbone to stand up to these reckless plans. This is yet another embarrassing defeat for Labour. Only Reform backs real democracy.' Sean Matthews, chair-elect of the County Councils Network (CCN), said many of its member councils had 'serious concerns' about the process and felt the government's reorganisation decisions would not achieve the required aims, including significant savings. He added: 'The CCN called on the new administration in government to take ownership of the programme – reviewing the decisions made and only proceeding with proposals that can deliver sustainable councils and protect services. 'We pleased they have taken ours, and our councils' concerns on board by announcing a pause and review of the programme today. 'Many of our members will be relieved that the decisions they viewed as damaging to local services and financially unsustainable have been withdrawn or are being reviewed. Unison raised concerns that the pause leaves employees in 'even greater limbo'. The trade union's head of local government, Mike Short, said: 'There have been question marks over this process from the outset. 'This pause prolongs the uncertainty felt by local government employees. Their jobs, futures and the services they deliver are in even greater limbo. 'Staff should always be at the heart of a reorganisation of this scale. Stronger authorities are only made possible by a skilled, experienced and motivated workforce. From Westminster to Washington DC - our political experts are across all the latest key talking points. Listen to the latest episode below...