Clear, consistent and coordinated communication across stakeholders supports smooth transition and building a strong identity for the new council.
Communications, engagement and stakeholder management are essential components of a successful Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). Clear, consistent and coordinated communication across predecessor councils helps residents, staff, elected members and partners understand the purpose of change, the intended benefits and the practical steps involved. Engagement activity ensures that local identity, community voice and organisational insight shape the development of the new authority. Together, these activities support transparency, build confidence and help create a shared sense of purpose across the system.
Insights from LGR-experienced councils show that effective communications and engagement typically involve:
- Establishing a single, shared narrative for the transition, aligning messages, setting expectations and presenting LGR as a coherent and collaborative endeavour.
- Structured stakeholder mapping, helping communications teams prioritise audiences and maintain consistent engagement throughout the change process.
- Developing a proactive communications plan that includes staff briefings, place-based updates, visual explainers, FAQs and regular leader and chief executive messaging to support visibility and clarity.
- Maintaining coordinated communications governance, with communications leads embedded in programme structures and working closely with policy, HR, digital and democratic services to ensure timing, messaging and content are aligned.
This combined approach enables councils to offer clear, evidence-based communications that resonate with different audiences and reflect local context. Engagement activity also provides valuable insight to shape service design, organisational culture and early decision making.
Overall, strong and coordinated communications and engagement help build trust, ensure residents and staff feel well informed and create a positive foundation for forming a new, unified council.
Top resources
Toolkits
Insights from LGR-experienced councils
Further reading
Lessons from previous LGRs
Glossary and FAQs
Highlighted pages
LGR Toolkit
This toolkit hub brings together resources from across the sector to help those going through local government reorganisation (LGR).
LGR: Checklist
The following checklist outlines a range of key actions that must be undertaken at each stage of the LGR process, along with links to resources that will help councils to deliver those actions.