Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) changes how local councils are organised and what they're responsible for.
Central government wants councils to be simpler, so it’s clear who is in charge of local services. This will help councils be more efficient and work better.
They plan to replace the current system of district and county councils with new bigger councils, known as unitary councils. A unitary council is responsible for all the services for its area.
In most areas, reorganisation will mean creating unitary councils that serve at least 500,000 people. Medway’s current population is 280,000 people.
The councils in Kent and Medway have been working on ideas on how to do this.
What reorganisation means for Medway
Medway Council is already a unitary council. We're responsible for all services in our area including social care, waste collections, roads, parking and much more.
Across the rest of Kent, there is a 2-tier system in place. District and borough councils are responsible for some services and Kent County Council responsible for others.
Local government services will be reorganised into bigger unitary councils serving the whole of Kent and Medway.
Some of the ways it can help include:
- services can be easier to use and understand
- councils can work together and stop doing the same jobs twice
- running things more simply can cost less in the long run
- there will be opportunities to redesign and improve service delivery.
Reorganisation proposals
Medway and the Kent councils have been working together to develop options for reorganisation in the area.
All the councils recognise that reorganisation is the right direction for the future, but there are different views on how best to do it.
Each council has their own unique local priorities, challenges, and opportunities which has led to the development of 5 proposals.
These proposals were submitted to government on Friday 28 November 2025.
Next steps
We expect:
- the government will consider feedback given through their public consultation with residents
- a decision on the final structure of unitary councils in summer 2026
- new shadow councils for each unitary to be created in 2027
- reorganisation in Kent and Medway to be completed by April 2028
- devolution to follow shortly after Local Government Reorganisation.
We'll continue to support our residents with important services in the meantime.