Case study: Developing the Public Services and Local Governance Case for Worcestershire’s Local Government Reorganisation final submission

Client: The five Worcestershire District Councils of Bromsgrove, Redditch, Malvern Hills, Worcester City and Wychavon

Date: Sep – Dec 2025

Challenges faced by the client:

Central government has committed to simplifying local government. In February 2025, the Minister of State wrote to all councils in two-tier areas to formally invite proposals for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). Working together, five district councils in Worcestershire were seeking to put together a compelling proposal.

The district councils needed:

• A credible, delivery-focused model demonstrating how two proposed unitary councils (North and South Worcestershire) would work in practice.

• Assurance that adults’, children’s, SEND, public health and wider local services could be delivered safely, sustainably and accountably.

• A model to enable prevention over crisis, strengthen local democracy, and deliver better integration with partners.

• A practical framework that avoided fragmentation, maintained stability through transition, and reassured government and partners that the proposals were deliverable. 

Our support:

Mutual Ventures partnered with KPMG to jointly develop the District Council’s LGR proposal. Mutual Ventures led the design of the service and neighbourhood operating model, including:

• Designing safe, sustainable, and high-quality services, setting out how key services would operate under two new councils.

• Setting out proposals for high-risk services - adults services, children’s services & SEND, and public health.

• Developing the approach across council functions including Homelessness, public safety, highways, transport, waste, and corporate services. 

• Managing risk and ensuring a safe transition through clear governance, accountability, and continuity of safeguarding and critical operations. 

• Creating a clear and credible neighbourhood model built around Neighbourhood Area Committees (NACs) – democratic neighbourhood decision-making forums and Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) – multi-agency delivery teams aligned to local priorities. 

Outcome achieved:

The work contributed to a credible, practical and compelling proposal for LGR - Transforming Worcestershire: Local government that works for people, powered by place and built for the future. This describes a neighbourhood-led operating model for two new unitary councils built on a case that two councils can strengthen local democracy and responsiveness, better integrate services around people and place, and enable meaningful prevention and early help.

The proposal won the confidence of leaders, politicians and partners with a focus on not just structural reform but built upon genuine public service reform.