Councils prepare for post-devolution future

Three councils in Lancashire have approved plans to work more closely together – acting before any announcement on the future shape of local government in the county.

There has been no formal decision on the make-up of Lancashire’s new councils, their number or their geography. The government’s plans, when released, will see the 15 existing borough, district, unitary and county councils dissolved.

Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire have requested to be grouped in a new unitary authority as part of the reorganisation of local government that will come into force from April 2028.

The three councils have agreed recommendations to introduce shared senior leadership arrangements. They say the move is not a merger.

The current chief executive of Chorley and South Ribble will also take on the role at West Lancashire, providing strategic leadership across all three, including oversight of the local government reorganisation programme.

West Lancashire will appoint a separate deputy chief executive, responsible for day-to-day operational management and delivery of corporate priorities.

And the current monitoring officer at West Lancashire will take on the role of shared monitoring officer across the three councils, focusing on statutory governance responsibilities.

David Whittington, leader of West Lancashire Council, said: “This proposal is about taking sensible, proactive steps to ensure West Lancashire is well placed for the future.

“By working more closely with Chorley and South Ribble, something I have been advocating and raised in meetings for many years, we can strengthen leadership capacity, maintain strong local decision‑making and provide stability for our workforce and residents as we move through local government reorganisation.”

Alistair Bradley, leader of Chorley Council, added: “The proposals to work more closely with West Lancashire is an obvious and sensible step in preparation for further change as we move into local government reorganisation.

“We have seen first-hand the benefit of working closely with our neighbouring authority, South Ribble, and so the sharing of these two senior positions will build on this.

“The areas of Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire share many commonalities, and so shared expertise and experience across the authorities can only further improve services what we do.”

And Matthew Tomlinson, leader of South Ribble Council, said: “South Ribble has developed a strong and growing partnership with Chorley, delivering clear and tangible benefits for our residents.

“With local government reorganisation on the horizon, this is the right time to build on that success by strengthening our collaboration with West Lancashire.”