Gloucestershire
County in South West England whose two-tier councils face reorganisation into one unitary authority.
Gloucestershire's two-tier councils were set in July 2026 to merge into one unitary authority, a decision under ministerial review since 7 September; in September a county councillor moved from Reform UK to Restore Britain.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026
Timeline for Gloucestershire
Mentioned in: Labour takes Hirst and Amble from Reform
UK Local Elections 2026Background
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England, with Gloucester as its county town and Cheltenham, Stroud, Tewkesbury and Cirencester among its towns. Gloucestershire County Council has 55 councillors and sits above six district councils; South Gloucestershire is a separate unitary authority. The Liberal Democrats were the largest party after the May 2025 elections and lead the county council.
In July 2026 the government decided to replace the county and district councils with a single unitary council. That decision is one of 14 that ministers paused for a rapid review on 7 September, when they withdrew four earlier decisions on legal advice.
Michael Rees, WHO represents Cam Valley on the county council, left Reform UK for Restore Britain in September 2026, Mark Pack's tracker of Reform departures shows.