Effective leadership focussing on purpose, ambition and collaboration is one of the most important enablers of successful LGR.
Strong and aligned leadership provides clarity of purpose, builds shared ambition across predecessor councils and creates the conditions for a confident, future-focused new authority. Political leaders set the strategic direction, champion local priorities and help shape a coherent identity for the new council. Senior officers then translate this vision into well-coordinated delivery, aligning governance, financial stewardship and programme activity. Their partnership - built on trust, clarity and shared purpose - supports a unified approach to shaping a high-performing organisation from the outset.
Insights from LGR-experienced councils show that strong leadership typically involves:
- Agreeing shared priorities and principles early, using the LGA's Reflections and insights from councillors who have been through LGR to frame a concise 'one voice, one plan' approach and clear decision routes.
- Holding regular alignment forums, with focused agendas that keep milestones moving.
- Communicating consistently and confidently so that colleagues and partners can see what is changing, what remains the same and when.
- Building constructive cross-council relationships, reflecting national lessons-learned research such as Shared Intelligence's Learning the Lessons from LGR and historic central government summaries of reorganisation learning.
- Providing direct sponsorship of key design choices - operating model, service footprints and committee structures - with clear documentation and public explanation.
This leadership approach shapes a positive organisational culture, strengthens partnership working and helps colleagues feel part of a shared endeavour as the new authority takes shape. It also supports consistent expectations across teams, enabling clearer roles, constructive dialogue and well-timed decisions that sustain momentum. Councillors play a vital role by championing shared messages, supporting timely decisions and engaging directly with residents and staff.
Top resources
Further reading
Lessons learnt from previous LGRs
How to make a success of LGR
Managing LGR and Devolution at the same time
Leadership skills
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.