Gill Morris and Taya Clarke share their thoughts on what the recent local government reorganisation announcement could actually mean…

Can Local Government Reorganisation actually make the state faster, smarter, better?

Right now? Not really.

We run a hyper-centralised system that hates risk, fears failure, and defaults to short-term fixes. Penny pinching and ideological dogma too often hinders innovation and reform that could save more money, transform public services and create real opportunities.

But what if we now have the framework for a more innovative system of government?

Last week’s local government reorganisation announcement marks the biggest shake-up of English local government in 50 years. Not just redrawing boundaries, but rewiring how power works outside Whitehall. It reshapes accountability, decision-making and alters strategic capacity across swathes of England.

This is not admin. It’s constitutional

Finally, we will have desperately needed constitutional change that should last for decades to come. These changes have the potential to reshape governance across swathes of England more so than anything laid out by previous governments.

It will mean more efficient decisions can be made in areas where strategic growth depends on scale; housing delivery, infrastructure, clean power, skills, and industrial strategy.

This is devolution at its best - moving power closer to places, people and problems.

Devolution = Britain’s innovation model

Devolution is not constitutional trivia; it is Britain’s innovation model. Britain still runs too many services as if the Cabinet Office were running a single national factory. Write a strategy, launch a fund, run a bidding war, and hope that somehow it works.

It’s slow, fragile, and when it almost inevitably fails everyone blames “capacity” and orders another round of consultants.

By establishing credible and simple local institutions, meaningful and serious devolution can take place. Scrap the two-tier muddle. End lackluster accountability. Build places that can actually act.

From lobbying to learning

Devolution doesn’t have to mean just an extra layer of government, an extra layer of bureaucrats. Think of it more like dozens of innovative labs, doing randomised control trials to deliver for their regions. Experiments that can be learned from and be delivered nationwide.

Then comes the real shift: speed + replication. New strategic authorities can lift‑and‑shift the whole package: playbooks, procurement specs, data, standard contracts, evaluation methods and KPIs.

One place proves it. Another copies it in weeks.

That’s how you build a modern state.

Commit to the bit

The biggest risk we face in this reorganisation is losing momentum and drifting into prolonged uncertainty. Half completed reform risks creating weak institutions. Structural change only matters if followed through properly - new authorities need powers, clarity and strategic purpose.

We are seeing the next British state being built, quietly, by people close enough to the problem to fix it and confident enough to let others copy. Westminster should be delighted.

The unspoken reform

This should be seen as the start of a wider state reform. Reorganisation should lead to;

Stronger devolution deals
More strategic planning powers
Infrastructure coordination
Long-term fiscal reform

If Whitehall wants trust back, it needs to stop hoarding control and start funding curiosity. Transformation won’t come from one grand plan. It’ll come from thousands of small wins.

That’s the bigger political lesson.

A leaner British state is not a smaller one; it’s a smarter one. It pushes power down, so experiments can start. It lifts what works up, so success can spread. It swaps mega-project ego for the quiet confidence of services that improve a little each term.

That’s the opportunity. Now the question is, will we take it?

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