On 16 July 2026, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed OBE MP, wrote to the leaders of councils in Derbyshire, Devon, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire & Worcestershire. This much-anticipated letter reveals his decision on how local government reorganisation (LGR) would be implemented in these areas. Staffordshire and
