The Government is again minded to replace Warwick District Council with a South Warwickshire council shared with Stratford, a year later than planned: April 2029.

The plan to merge Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon districts into one new council is back on. It is now due a year later than first planned.

On Thursday 29 October the Government said it is “minded to” create two unitary councils for Warwickshire. A South Warwickshire council would cover Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth, Whitnash and the whole of Stratford-on-Avon district. It would replace Warwick District Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council and, for this area, Warwickshire County Council.

The new councils would be elected in May 2028 and take over in April 2029. The previous timetable had them starting in April 2028.

The decision is not final. Councils and anyone else interested will be invited to comment first.

What the minister’s letter says

The announcement is a letter to Warwickshire’s council leaders from Jim McMahon, the Minister for Local Government, dated 29 October. It does four things:

  • it withdraws the decision the Government announced on 16 July 2026
  • it says the Secretary of State is “currently minded to” choose the two-council proposal
  • it sets elections to the new councils for May 2028, with vesting in April 2029
  • it promises a period of at least three weeks for representations, with “exact timings” to follow

The two councils it describes are:

Proposed council Made up of Population
North Warwickshire North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby 323,000
South Warwickshire Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick 295,000

That is the same split the Government chose in July. What has changed is the date, and the fact that the process has to run again before it is final.

Timeline of Warwickshire reorganisation: 16 July 2026, Government picks two councils; 7 September 2026, decision paused for a national review; 29 October 2026, July decision withdrawn and minister minded to pick two councils again; dates to be confirmed, at least three weeks for representations; May 2027, Warwick District Council elections on the existing wards; May 2028, first elections to the new councils; April 2029, South Warwickshire council takes over.
How Warwickshire's reorganisation got here, and what comes next. Graphic by The Leamington Post
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Why the Government prefers two councils

Two proposals were on the table. Warwickshire County Council wanted one council for the whole county, about 618,000 people. Rugby Borough Council backed that bid. Warwick District Council put in the two-council proposal jointly with North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, and Stratford-on-Avon.

The letter says both proposals meet all six of the Government’s criteria. It gives three reasons for leaning towards two:

  • two councils can respond to “the different economic, demographic, housing and service needs of the north and south”
  • services can be tailored to each area, with more room for prevention
  • the split keeps more flexibility while the region’s future devolution deal is unresolved

The letter is also frank about the weaknesses. It says the Government has “lower confidence” in the two-council savings estimates. It accepts that the single-council bid had the “stronger short-term savings case” and avoided the cost and risk of splitting county services such as children’s and adult social care. It says those risks “can be managed”.

Both councils would be well under the Government’s usual guide of 500,000 people. The letter says that figure “is not a fixed threshold” and that many existing unitary councils are around 275,000.

On local opinion, the letter says most residents and organisations that responded to the consultation preferred two councils, as did most Warwickshire MPs. The Police and Crime Commissioner and the Integrated Care Board preferred one.

What the councils said

All six Warwickshire councils issued a joint statement the same day. They said councils “have held different views on the best structure” but would now work together. They added:

“We now need clear information from the Government about the timetable, funding and next steps. We do know that the new unitary councils will be in place from April 2029.”

The letter says Warwickshire will get £900,000 of transition funding in November. That is half of the £900,000 promised for each new council. The rest, and £150,000 per council for children’s services, adult social care and public health, follows a final decision.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes yet. Bins, parking, council tax and planning stay with Warwick District Council, and roads, schools and social care with the county council, until April 2029.
  • The district elections in May 2027 still go ahead on the existing wards. The Government confirmed that in its 7 September letter. Those councillors would serve until Warwick District Council is abolished.
  • Your say comes in the representation period. The Government has not yet published the dates. We will add them here when it does.
  • Council tax stays as now. The letter says nothing about how bills would be set across the new area. Our council tax bands page shows what each band costs in Warwick district this year.

Background

We reported the July decision and the September pause, and the district council’s vote to ask the Government for its costs back.

Sources