Tewkesbury MP and council leader back single unitary council for Gloucestershire

The leader of Tewkesbury Borough Council, Richard Stanley, and MP for the Tewkesbury constituency, Cameron Thomas, are jointly supporting the move to a single unitary authority for the county of Gloucestershire.

It follows confirmation that Gloucestershire County Council is looking to apply to the Government to postpone its elections in May 2025, ahead of a move to form unitary authorities by
merging district and county authorities.

The new Labour Government announced plans for devolution in 2024 that would see the removal of two-tier local government and replaced with single councils for larger geographical areas - Government guidance states they should serve a population of at least 500,000.

The Government White Paper stated it wants “Universal coverage in England of Strategic Authorities – which should be a number of councils working together, covering areas that people recognise and work in”. These would be overseen by an elected mayor.

Richard Stanley and Cameron Thomas want to see political leaders in Gloucestershire move at pace and be proactive to ensure the best outcome for our county. With new unitary authorities serving at least 500,000 people, they can only see one solution: a county-wide council that keeps Gloucestershire together.

Richard Stanley said:  

“The Government has made it clear there is only one direction of travel and while it is sad that this will see the end of Tewkesbury Borough Council – especially when a lot of hard work
has seen improvements in services for our residents – there are lots of benefits of having one council for the county.  

“Most residents aren’t that passionate about the structures of local government: what matters to them is excellent services delivered economically and the unitary model is an opportunity to be more efficient and streamlined.

“I believe we must keep Gloucestershire as a county intact: there are some suggestions of splitting into more than one authority, but this would be wasteful and we need to keep the county together.”

Cameron Thomas added:  

“Principally, I am a proud resident of Gloucestershire and as my constituency includes large parts of Gloucester and Cheltenham, I take a broad view, beyond the boundaries and interests of a single town or city. Logic follows that everybody in Gloucestershire
should be governed under the same, single authority with which they already enjoy a shared identity and history.  

“In practical terms, there would be no requirement for the expensive reallocation of assets, services and staff, while our fire and rescue, police and NHS services are already operating across the whole county.  

“There is no perfect form of local government: while I understand that some are concerned about democracy becoming more distant from residents, we also need to see the benefits of change: having a single council will simplify government across Gloucestershire, making it more accessible in service of residents.

“Gloucestershire has a bright future, and that would be best-realised together, through joined-up, strategic planning which benefits the entire county. Working together as one Gloucestershire is in our collective interest.”

Strategic authorities  

On the next step of creating a strategic authority with a metro mayor, Cameron and Richard take the Liberal Democrat view that bestowing too much authority on a single person would be ineffective and undemocratic, and should not be imposed upon communities that do not want them.  

Cameron said: “We must recognise that the increased use of strategic authorities and mayors was in the manifesto that Labour was elected on, but work to ensure that the execution works for Gloucestershire and its residents. That means being open to creative solutions whilst keeping residents as the primary focus of our effort.

“To this end, we must work together with councillors and leaders from all parties and none, putting our residents before party politics.”

Richard added: “While we are sceptical about the introduction of mayors, we must all engage with the strategic authorities’ process. There are many moving parts and suggestions about who Gloucestershire should work with, but the most important thing is not to be slow to act and be the only person at the dance left without a partner.”