County's council reform plans delayed by government

The decision to reorganise local government in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has been delayed, it has been announced.

Seven councils were set to become either two or three - overseeing services like planning, social care and pothole repair work - and had hoped to be up and running by 2028.

An announcement on the government's decision on how to split the area's boundaries was expected on Thursday along with many other councils across England.

But the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, said he needed more time to decide in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, along with West Sussex.

There are due to be shadow elections for the new authority next year.

Reed told the House of Commons it was the government's "full intention" to have these elections and new councils ready as timetabled, but no deadline on the reorganisation decision has been made public.

The government decided to abolish two-tier council systems across England, saying it would save money by streamlining services.

It also hoped it would make it easier for local residents to understand who was in charge of services.

The Liberal Democrat leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, Lucy Nethsingha, said she was "deeply disappointed" by the delay.

"Shunting this decision to an as yet undetermined point in the future leaves all seven councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in limbo and will leave less time for the existing councils to deliver a safe transition," she said.

Heather Williams, the opposition Conservative leader at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said the government should "admit they made a mistake and go back to the drawing board".

"[Local government reorganisation] is dominating everything and getting in the way of actual progress in our area," she said.

"The government needs to grow up and stop playing games with the quality of people's lives."

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