The Leader of the Council Cabinet Member Meeting on Wednesday 14 October 2026 decided to proceed with a judicial review into the government's decision on local government reorganisation in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. This decision was made due to concerns about the process followed by the government and the potential impact on residents and services.

Judicial Review of Local Government Reorganisation

Councillor Richard Blunt, Leader of the Council, authorised the council, alongside the other six district and borough councils in Leicestershire, to initiate judicial review proceedings concerning the government's decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. This decision was made under the delegation function of the council's Constitution.

The council believes there are strong grounds to challenge the government's decision, particularly regarding the process undertaken. Key concerns include:

• The government approving a model that significantly differed from the proposals initially put forward and consulted upon. The approved model was an amended version of a proposal initially put forward by Leicester City Council.
• Potential insufficient consideration of the impact on residents, services, and finances within the proposed new Leicestershire and Rutland authority.
• The possibility that individuals responding to the consultation were not provided with adequate information to properly compare the different options.
• A lack of full explanation from the government regarding its reasons for choosing this particular option over alternatives.
• The evidence and reasoning used to justify changes to some district boundaries are considered open to challenge.

The decision to proceed with the judicial review was made on 14 October 2026 and will be reported to the next suitable Cabinet meeting. The pre-action letter for judicial review has already been sent to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and the council has received a response. The council will proceed with a full judicial review claim with other Leicestershire authorities if the government does not withdraw its decision prior to the submission of the claim. Authority has been delegated to the Monitoring Officer to sign and submit all necessary documentation to effect this decision.

This judicial review process is a significant undertaking, aiming to legally scrutinise the government's decision-making process in a major structural change for local government in the region. The outcome could have substantial implications for the future governance and service delivery across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.

The full details of the agenda for this meeting can be found in the Agenda frontsheet 14th-Oct-2026 14.00 Leader of the Council Cabinet Member Meeting. Further information regarding the reports pack is available here. The minutes detailing the decision are available here.