English County Reform - 2026,
When Labour won their massive landslide in the 2024 General Election one of PM Keir Starmer's aims was to reform the administration of the country. This included reform to the House of Lords, changes to elections and Devolution to the English regions. This also included reform to the counties of England.
The Tories had taken a local first approach to local government. There was a wild array of local agreements, random local devolution and counties sharing services. This had lead to confusion for many voters about who actually did what, exemplified by there being 3 Mayors of Liverpool.
Although it was not their most popular move, the Labour Party redrew the map of English counties. They updated it reflecting the expanded borders of many cities and increase in population in many towns. It also formalised across England what the different levels of local government did and was organised, from parish council all the way up to the Regions of England. This reform was the first where there was a significant rebellion from the Labour Backbenches, however his massive majority ensured it passed comfortably.
View attachment 842872