Gloucestershire County Council met on Wednesday 12 November 2025, and members debated the future of local government reorganisation in the county, ultimately expressing a preference for a single unitary authority. They also approved a new council strategy and agreed to incorporate the views of young people in policy decisions. Additionally, councillors addressed concerns about highways maintenance and the impact of inheritance tax reforms on local farmers.

Local Government Reorganisation

The council debated two proposals for local government reorganisation (LGR) in Gloucestershire: creating a single unitary authority for the whole county, or creating two unitary authorities based on an East/West division of existing districts.

Councillor Lisa Spivey, Leader of the Council, recognised this as a historic moment as local government in Gloucestershire had not been reorganised since 1974. She stated that LGR would not solve the financial crisis facing local authorities, and expressed her view that smaller, locally focused councils could bring benefits, particularly in terms of local representation and accountability. However, she felt that the two unitary proposal would not best serve the needs of Gloucestershire residents, as it would create a West council with a built-in deficit and a disproportionately high demand for services.

Cllr Spivey said that she would be supporting the proposal for a single countywide unitary authority, in recognition that this would be best for service delivery across the council's major directorates, including Adult Services, Children's Services, Public Health and Highways. She explained that the Fire Service could not be sensibly divided to deliver an effective and safe service, and that a single unitary authority would best serve ambitions for sustainable economic growth, the need to respond to the challenges of climate change, as well as shared responsibilities for waste collection, transport planning and major infrastructure.

Many members spoke in support of the single countywide unitary option, stating that it could provide a simpler and smarter system of local government that would put residents first. It was highlighted that the two-tier system often caused confusion amongst residents, and therefore a single unitary authority would be easier for residents to understand by offering a single point of contact and accountability. A single countywide unitary would allow for cooperation with partners, such as the NHS and the Police, and would deliver best value for money for taxpayers.

Other members spoke in support of the proposal for creating two unitary authorities based on an East/West grouping of existing districts, highlighting that it would provide stronger local connections and stronger representation. It was claimed that two unitary authorities would be more locally focused and therefore more responsive and efficient. It was noted that the UK had the fewest elected representatives per capita than nearly every other European democracy, and concern was raised that the move to unitary would widen that deficit.

Ultimately, the council expressed a preference for the creation of a single unitary authority for the whole county.

Council Strategy 2025-2029

The council adopted the new Council Strategy 2025-2029 A Stronger Future Built Together . Councillor Lisa Spivey, Leader of the Council, stated that she was delighted to share the new strategy, which had been based on the Liberal Democrats' manifesto for the 2025 elections. She clarified that over the coming months, an annual plan with clear targets and actions would be published alongside the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).

Multiple members spoke in support of the strategy. One member highlighted that she was pleased to see a focus being placed on children and young people but acknowledged that there were significant challenges that would need to be addressed to achieve the goals outlined in the strategy.

Another member stated that climate and nature were two separate topics which had been joined together in the Council Strategy, and asked for clarification that the administration did acknowledge that they were two different issues and would be addressing them as such. Councillor Martin Horwood, Cabinet Member for Nature, Climate and Waste Reduction, confirmed that the administration was committed to taking action against both the nature and climate emergency which was why they had included them as outcomes in the Council Strategy.

Some members highlighted that they felt the Council Strategy did not state how it was going to achieve its goals and did not have measurable key performance indicators. The Leader stated that she disagreed, as the administration only included outcomes that were achievable. She explained that once the Liberal Democrats' first MTFS proposal was released, this would outline their spending and how they were going to deliver on the outcomes.

Incorporating the Views and Needs of Young People in Decision-Making

The council unanimously approved a motion to develop a framework to better incorporate the views and needs of young people in Gloucestershire County Council decision-making. Councillor Craig Horrocks proposed the motion, highlighting how the Council Strategy expressed support for Gloucestershire to be a place where young people can thrive.

The motion commits the council to:

• Collaborating with senior officers, young people and youth workers on a consultation to identify the specific needs of young people in Gloucestershire that lead to them being impacted differently by policy decisions, and how the policymaking process can better incorporate young people's views.
• Asking the Lead Cabinet Member to work with the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee (CFOSC) and GCC officers on designing and undertaking the consultation.
• For CFOSC to use the results of the consultation to develop a template that would be attached to all policy and resource allocation decisions to ensure that the needs of young people have been sufficiently considered, as part of, or as an adjunct to, the Equality impact Assessment.
• Asking CFOSC, the Lead Cabinet Member and Director for Children's Services to work together to consider and identify any resources needed to enable young people's views to be incorporated into the County Council's policy making process.
• To complete initial actions and develop a timetable for completing further actions by the May 2026 meeting of Full Council.

Councillor Ben Evans, Cabinet Member for Children's Safeguarding and Care, stated his belief that bringing young people's voices into politics was so important and that he was focused on making sure this was not a tokenistic motion but that it led to real change.

Improving Transparency, Responsiveness, and Equity in Highways Services

The council debated a motion regarding the condition of local roads, the timeliness of repairs, and the clarity of communication from the Highways Department. Councillor Michael Rees proposed the motion, stating that this was a topic that generated concern across communities. He emphasised residents' frustration over the state of Gloucestershire's roads including the amount of potholes, and lack of communication over road works.

Councillor Joe Harris proposed an amendment, which was accepted, to refer the issues raised in the motion to Cabinet for consideration as part of the delivery of the Corporate Plan and the ongoing Highways Improvement Programme, and to determine what further reporting and engagement mechanisms may be appropriate.

The amended motion was approved.

Supporting Gloucestershire's Farmers: Opposing the Family Farm Tax

The council debated a motion regarding the impact of inheritance tax reforms on local farmers. Councillor Dom Morris proposed the motion, stating how pleased he was to be bringing this motion. He highlighted that the Government had reformed inheritance tax on farmland to introduce a 20% tax on agricultural assets valued over £1 million, and stated that by adding this tax, the Government had taken the value of land away from the value of farming.

Councillor Stuart Graham proposed an amendment to also recognise the growing mental health challenges faced by farmers.

Councillor Gary Luff then proposed a further amendment, which was not accepted, to acknowledge that the current farm inheritance tax relief was abused by some members of the public to avoid paying tax.

Councillor Colin Hay then moved a motion to refer the subject of the debate to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee (COSC) to establish a working group to report back to Full Council. This proposal was approved.

Other Business

• The council confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on the 10th September 2025.
• The Chair announced that 25th November would be White Ribbon Day, and that a women's safety event would be hosted in the Chamber.
• The Chair announced that 7th January would be Budget scrutiny day and encouraged scrutiny members to attend.
• The Chair explained that electronic voting would be used following Council approval of the recommendation from Constitution Committee.
• The council received 50 public questions prior to the meeting, and supplementary questions were asked on topics such as free-mining in the Forest of Dean, safeguards to prevent political bias from influencing complaints, a road traffic collision with a bridge in Lydney, plans for Local Government Reorganisation, bus stops in Gloucester, and the reopening of Stonehouse Station.
• The council received petitions regarding safe crossing for Cirencester Road, Cheltenham, to reduce speed limit on A436 and enhance road safety measures, to re-instate the original route of the Stagecoach D bus, to request the resurfacing of road surface and pavements at The Ferns , Tetbury, to clearly label the shared cycleway and footway on Kidnapper's Lane between the Vineries Close and the High School Leckhampton as a shared space, and to install a pedestrian crossing on Church Rd, Leckhampton, near Leckhampton Primary School.
• Councillor Ben Evans, Cabinet Member for Children's Safeguarding and Care, introduced the Corporate Parenting report and members were shown a video of ambassadors talking about the importance of stable homes, built on love.
• The council approved and adopted the amended Terms of Reference for the Health and Wellbeing Board, and their integration into Section 3 of the Council's constitution.
• The council received 76 member questions prior to the meeting, and supplementary questions were asked on topics such as the budget for community maintenance gangs, the M5 Junction 10 scheme, comments made on BBC Points West, speed restriction signs, documentation under section 100F of the Local Government Act 1972¹, flag flying in Stonehouse, Household Recycling Centres, future road resurfacing plans, road staff carrying out double shifts, the term 'illegal immigrant', the Constitution Committee's decision on motions, hate speech, and the fire service in Fairford.
• The council received a scrutiny update.
• Councillor Chloe Turner, Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee, introduced the Audit and Governance Committee Chair's Annual Report.