Labour to axe 800 councillors and close 43 councils in sweeping shake-up

Labour is planning a significant overhaul of local government in England, which involves cutting 800 councillors and shutting down 43 councils over the next two years.

Critics have labelled this initiative a partisan power grab.

This major restructuring will reorganise the counties of Hampshire, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk into fewer unitary authorities by 2028. Key cities like Ipswich, Norwich, Portsmouth, and Southampton will have their boundaries expanded to bypass “Nimby” district councils that block new housing developments.

Shadow Local Government Secretary Sir James Cleverly characterised the shake-up as “outright gerrymandering,” accusing Labour of manipulating council sizes to serve their political interests. He stated, “This is about shoring up collapsing support and dodging accountability.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticised the plan as unwanted by local communities, particularly in Essex, his constituency of Clacton. He remarked, “Nobody here has asked for massive local government change. Nobody has asked for Essex to have a mayor. You begin to lose a sense of what Essex as a county is.”

Under the new arrangements, county councils—currently responsible for transport and social care—and district councils, which handle waste collection and routine planning, will be merged into single authorities. This consolidation aims to reduce costs and eliminate well-paid senior roles. Labour ministers claim the changes will save around £6 million annually across the four counties.

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed presented the shake-up as a “once-in-a-generation chance” to modernise councils and align boundaries with today’s communities. Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves cautioned that outdated land-use policies were “hemming in our most dynamic cities” and pricing young people out of the housing market.

These reforms come after a government U-turn on postponed elections, triggered by legal action from Nigel Farage that prevented the cancellation of the polls for 4.5 million voters. Reed defended the shake-up as a means of “speeding up elections to the new councils that will replace the ones being closed down,” asserting that it was both sensible and democratic.

However, critics argue that the plan could consolidate Labour’s control, reshape local politics in its favour, and provoke significant public backlash regarding democracy and local accountability.