Coalface Engagement and the Centre for Britain and Europe launch the Local Government Reorganisation Initiative

Coalface Engagement and the University of Surrey’s Centre for Britain and Europe launch the Local Government Reorganisation Initiative ahead of major council changes.

Coalface Engagement (COALFACE) and the Centre for Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey (CBE) today announced a partnership to launch the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) Initiative, responding to what many regard as the most significant shake up in local governance for a generation, presenting a once-in a generation chance to unlock economic regeneration, significant housing delivery, and investment opportunities for business and communities. The programme will examine how reorganisation, approached as the redesign of a local democratic system rather than an internal corporate merger, can unlock meaningful devolution through good governance design, a clear civic purpose, and strong leadership that carries community support. It will also examine how structural change without the associated powers, capability, and legitimacy risks storing up larger problems later, including weaker delivery and missed opportunities for growth, housing, and local investment.

The Coalface-CBE partnership, also joined in varying capacities by other sector leaders, will undertake cutting edge research ahead of local elections taking place in May 2026, publishing much needed practical guidance for councillors and senior officers, and developing national recommendations on governance, devolution, delivery, and public confidence. It will start its work immediately, launching two surveys to understand current understating and perceptions of LGR, one will be for residents of the Surrey, and the second for Councillors and Senior Officers at the 12 Local Authorities. A further survey will be run and published just ahead of the Local Elections in May.

Looking closely at previous examples of where local government reorganisation has succeeded and failed, the LGR Initiative will produce a new ‘100 Days Playbook on LGR’ ahead of the May elections. Combining practitioner experience with academic rigour and policy expertise, the LGR Initiative will directly assist in the place-based government transitions taking place in Surrey by producing highly useful, practical tools for local leaders helping them to work through change, alongside evidence informing recommendations for national policy design.

In this way, the LGR Initiative will focus directly upon the transitional decision-making environment that councillors and senior officers are currently working in, providing insight in the various changes to local government reorganisation, including member officer governance, scrutiny arrangements, organisational capacity, financial resilience, public confidence, and delivery performance.

The LGR Initiative will be led by University of Surrey graduate and former Surrey Councillor Rowan Cole, who established public affairs consultancy Coalface Engagement in 2018, and Professor Amelia Hadfield, prominent academic as well as Founder and Director of the Centre for Britain and Europe, a Centre of Excellence based within Politics and International Relations, at the University of Surrey.

The work builds on Coalface’s LGR Series, which will serve as a foundation within the programme, providing structured analysis and practitioner focused commentary as reorganisation proposals develop, including in Surrey and other areas considering change.

Over the coming months, the LGR Initiative will:

Immediately conduct surveys with residents of Surrey, as well as Councillors and Senior Officers across the county to understand the current views and understanding of LGR now, and at future points in time
Produce practitioner focused briefings and commentary for councillors, senior officers, and stakeholders navigating reorganisation in real time in the run up to the local elections in May and during the formation of the two new Surrey councils
Conduct Interviews and roundtables in the coming weeks with senior leaders and decision makers, alongside wider sector engagement activity to help inform the production of a LGR toolkit and guide
Publish ‘The 100 Days Playbook on LGR’, a practical toolkit intended to support councillors from day one of a new unitary authority just ahead of the Local Elections in May.
Send a White Paper setting out recommendations to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Parliament, informed by interviews and cross sector analysis after the formation of the news East and West Surrey Council’s to help support future rounds of LGR in 2027 and beyond.

The LGR Initiative programme will test whether reorganisation is delivering its core promise: meaningful devolution that strengthens local economic capacity and improves councils’ ability to deliver services on a sustainable footing. The Initiative will examine the governance, financial, and operating mechanisms new authorities need from day one, including clear accountability, effective scrutiny, realistic delivery planning, sound financial controls, and transition arrangements that reduce the risk of acute financial distress.

The programme will also consider how digital capability and AI governance should be embedded from the outset of newly formed authorities. The Initiative will explore how new councils can build transparent and resilient decision-making systems and service models, with clear assurance frameworks for data, automation, and AI enabled services.

Read the full PDF here

Rowan Cole, Founder of Coalface, said:

“Reorganisation is treated too often as an internal transformation when in reality it is a monumental reform of local democratic systems. Turnout in local elections is notoriously low, and this needs to change. With councils across the country facing financial crisis, local government reorganisation is only a first step and must be accompanied by devolution, stronger governance, and a clear public mandate. Devolution is the key which unlocks the investment, homes, and jobs that will benefit everyone.”

“My concern has been that the public and councillors are being overlooked because of a perception of apathy. The LGR Initiative is designed to counter that, encourage public participation, and strengthen councillor involvement in the process.”

Professor Amelia Hadfield, Centre for Britain and Europe at the University of Surrey, said:

"The reorganisation of local government creates an unusual, and concentrated opportunity within which to strengthen local governance. Real and progressive transformations are the goal, but the risks are material if structural change runs ahead of capability, systems, and trust. Building on a strong track record of engagement with public and private sector decision-makers in Surrey, the Centre for Britain and Europe is delighted to join the LGR Initiative to strengthen the evidence base, support rigorous analysis, and translate reform ambition into practical guidance for those leading change on the ground.”