Proposals
Interim submission of three options
In March 2025, all council’s agreed on three options that would be submitted to government. This was Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s ‘interim submission’ and the three options (each given its own unique reference) were:
1b. A new unitary authority combining Nottingham City, Broxtowe, and Gedling, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire.
1e. A new unitary authority combining Nottingham City, Broxtowe, and Rushcliffe, with a second new unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire.
2. Nottingham City remains a unitary authority, with a new single unitary authority for the rest of Nottinghamshire.
How the interim submission was developed
To support the nine councils in recommending informed and data-led options, a detailed options analysis exercise was complete. You can read the full Options Appraisal document online here, or you read a summary of the Options Appraisal document online here.
Government feedback on the interim submission
The government has already provided initial feedback on interim plans to all councils around the UK undergoing LGR. A summary of that feedback is available here.
As a result option 2 has been removed from further consideration for several reasons, including not matching the required population size as outlined by government in their LGR criteria.
Boundary review
In the interim submission feedback, the Government indicated to councils that it would consider boundary reviews as part of final submissions where appropriate.
Nottingham City Council chose to pursue this option, and a further Options Appraisal exercise was completed to provide a like-for-like comparison of the potential benefits and risks. You can read the full Options Appraisal for Nottingham City Council’s boundary review online.
Current position - progressing with three core options
That means that three options are currently being progressed in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
These are options 1b and 1e, and a Boundary Review option, as described above, as shown on the maps.
Additional option information
Each council will need to decide on its own preferred option.
The three proposals will then be submitted as part of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire's submission to government by their final submission deadline of 28 November 2025.
The government will then review proposals before making a final decision on the LGR option for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – as well as other council areas across England – in the Summer of 2026, and it will base its decision on its LGR criteria.