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About our proposal

Based on the evidence gathered so far, the administration for Leicestershire County Council is proposing a single county unitary for Leicestershire and Rutland as its preferred option.

We’ve worked with the city council so we’re consistent with our assumptions and data.  

Our work shows that a single council for Leicestershire and Rutland would save around £40 million each year. 

We would save money on fewer senior officers and elected members, reduced back-office costs, and spend on service management. 

The one-off transition costs are significant, but paid back in a couple of years.

Separate unitary councils scenarios
Scenarios which have been modelled Single unitary including Rutland
City unchanged		 Three unitaries (North, City, South) Single county unitary including Rutland
City boundary expanded
Ongoing net savings c. £40m Half the saving Similar to single county
Share the savings 100% to Leicestershire and Rutland as city not impacted 100% to Leicestershire and Rutland as city not impacted Shared – city take some reorganisation benefit + some counties' economies of scale
One off transition cost £15-£20m Higher due to splitting of county services Highest due to splitting of county and district services
Service risk Low – primarily back-office impact High High – increase if district boundaries split

Better services   

  • A single council for Leicestershire and Rutland would:   
  • Provide consistent services, no matter where residents live  
  • Simple access – one phone number and website   
  • Universal services (leisure centres, libraries, waste sites) available across the area  
  • Maximum spending power   
  • Money saved ploughed back into frontline services   

Splitting the county into smaller unitaries would bring risks   

  • A ‘postcode lottery’ for services   
  • Adult Social Care and our 'outstanding' Children’s Services would be split 
  • Confusion over services which cross artificial borders  
  • Risk of increased council tax to plug the budget gap   
  • Can’t attract specialist staff or negotiate big contracts  
  • Delays to devolution as a highly complex project is delivered  
  • Risk to service delivery from changing all services in a short period of time  
  • Costs to transfer services between organisations without a strong savings case 

A single council will create stronger communities and empowered neighbourhoods   

  • Household planning decisions would continue to be made locally  
  • Negotiation on larger schemes would ensure the right infrastructure is delivered   
  • Area committees would allow people to get involved in decisions   
  • Parish and town councils would be empowered to run services if they want to   

Leicestershire’s identity and heritage will be preserved  

Splitting Leicestershire into two, or allowing the city to grow, would create artificial areas and impact Leicestershire’s traditional identity.  

A single council for Leicestershire and Rutland would preserve established identities and connection, unique character and heritage, and Rutland’s ceremonial status.

Based on the evidence gathered so far, the administration for Leicestershire County Council is proposing a single county unitary for Leicestershire and Rutland as its preferred option.   

Given the Government’s invitation to extend city boundaries, the final proposal will identify the consequences for the county of an extended Leicester boundary.