Access PaySuite says 96 percent of finance leaders in local authorities are struggling to balance financial stability with a positive citizen experience as local government reorganization moves forward. County and district councils in England are preparing to merge into new unitary authorities ahead of the government’s April 2028 deadline.
The research was based on 100 finance leaders and was extended through focus groups with leaders from existing unitary authorities and sector experts. Jamie Symons said, “This is a major piece of research which highlights common themes that are troubling finance leaders as they progress through the LGR transformation process. There’s no doubt that reorganisation is a huge opportunity, with the potential to improve services for residents, rebalance budgets and enable teams to deliver better work, but there are clear challenges ahead.”
Jamie Symons on April 2028
Symons also said, “As we move towards April 2028, leadership, delivery teams, and suppliers will need to unite around a shared vision to make it a reality.” The timeline gives councils a fixed window to line up budgets, service delivery and system changes before the new structures take shape.
The survey found 36 percent of finance leaders named budgetary and funding constraints as the main barrier to successful reorganization. Another 25 percent pointed to aggressive or unrealistic programme timelines, while 38 percent said keeping statutory services such as social care and waste management performing well would be a key measure of success.
Andrew Rogers on system overlap
Andrew Rogers said, “A typical region could have 11 councils, and each council might have 200 applications each with significant overlap between them. However, the systems used by a typical district council will be very different to those in place with a county council. The key risk is being operational on day one when the environment you’re coming from is so complicated.”
That pressure sits alongside wider financial strain, with councils facing £7.4 billion in council tax arrears across England and £655 million in social housing rental arrears. For councils, leadership teams and suppliers, the practical task is not just drawing up a new structure but aligning finance, statutory services and overlapping digital systems before the April 2028 deadline.
