There are fears local government reorganisation will be like Brexit and dominate the attention of Gloucestershire’s district councils.

The Government unveiled plans last month to shake-up local government across England with Ministers saying the English Devolution White Paper aims to give more powers to local government.

But it also proposes creating more unitary councils which, in Gloucestershire, would mean district councils such as the Forest of Dean There are fears local government reorganisation will be like Brexit and dominate the attention of Gloucestershire’s district councils.

The Government unveiled plans last month to shake-up local government across England.

Ministers say the English Devolution White Paper aims to give more powers to local government.

But it also proposes creating more unitary councils which, in Gloucestershire, would mean district councils such as Stroud District Council would be abolished with plans afoot to request the postponment of next year’s county elections to fast track the creation of a unitary for Gloucestershire.

Stroud District Council’s deputy leader Pete Kennedy has raised concerns about the impact of devolution when talking about how it would impact bin collections across the county in light of plans to invest up to £10,00 extra in Ubico, the waste company jointly owned by councils in Gloucestershire to explore growth opportunities with potential new stakeholders.

“These next few years will be like Brexit, in terms of the domination of our thinking, decision making and the things we are going to have to do to prepare for this,” said Cll Kennedy.

Cllr Catherine Braun, added, “The new year should bring news on what will be expected from us, and those timelines for change over the coming years. I’m very keen that this process allows for full community engagement, and it’s shaped by the vision and the values that we set as members for this new authority.”