Well-designed governance arrangements provide the structure to support clear-decision making, transparency and accountability during LGR.
Well-designed governance arrangements help councils establish a shared approach to leadership, set out clear roles and responsibilities and ensure that the new authority is able to operate with confidence from its first day. Good governance strengthens trust across members, officers, partners and communities and provides an organised framework for aligning activity across predecessor councils.
Insights from LGR-experienced councils show that effective governance typically involves:
- early clarity on decision pathways, member and officer roles and consistent reporting and assurance during transition
- the Heads of Paid Service, Monitoring Officers and Section 151 Officers across councils work collectively to support lawful, ethical and effective decision making in reorganising authorities, with leadership, assurance and oversight coordinated across the programme
- strengthening the role of scrutiny, using constructive challenge, evidence-based questioning and clear lines of accountability to help maintain transparency and build public confidence
- establishing accessible governance documents, including interim constitutions, schemes of delegation and clear committee arrangements, reflecting principles in recognised governance frameworks.
This approach helps councils create governance structures that are consistent, well understood and able to support timely decisions. It also provides a clear foundation for effective partnership working, enabling officers and members to navigate change in a measured and coordinated way.
Overall, strong governance provides the organisational backbone of LGR. By combining national guidance with local design, councils can build a framework that supports openness, effective leadership and a confident transition into a new authority.
Top resources
Scrutiny and assurance
Governance structures
Further reading
Transitional governance bodies terms of reference
Examples of committee and programme workstream terms of reference
Lessons from previous LGR
Roles and responsibilities
Decision making and reporting protocol
Preventing failure
Neighbourhood governance
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.