Local Government Re-organisation

Ribble Valley Borough Council is set to be abolished in the biggest shake-up of local government in over 50 years.

The Government has asked Lancashire authorities to draw up plans for a substantial reduction in the number of councils in the county, from 14 to a small number of unitary authorities responsible for delivering all services from education and social care to emptying your bins and looking after your local park.

What we feel works best

A range of options for the creation of between two and five unitary councils are being considered.

Ribble Valley, together with five other councils, feel the best approach is for four unitary authorities to cover the county – an approach called Four Lancashire.

A map of Lancashire showing the collection of boroughs that would form the 4 council option.

Under this proposal Ribble Valley would join with Lancaster and Preston to create a new council.

The new council would create:

  • A strong rural base of Ribble Valley and Lancaster with a National Landscape area (AONB) encouraging tourism
  • University links between Lancaster and Preston
  • An economic area of Preston, including BAE Systems, along with the strategic transport links including the M6 and M65 motorways and the West Coast mainline railway between London and Glasgow
  • An established tourism base in Ribble Valley will compliment that of Lancaster and Preston to help promote the new authority area

Find out more about why we feel this is the best option, and the business case supporting it.

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Simon Hore said:

“Four Lancashire is the option that delivers the most acceptable change for residents while also establishing safe, stable, and financially resilient councils. By combining scale with local responsiveness, it ensures that communities are represented, services are integrated, and decision-making is accountable.”

What happens next?

A submission setting out which option(s) Lancashire wants to put forward must be sent to the Government by 28 November 2025.

Early 2026 – Government-led public consultation starts
May 2027 – Elections take place for the new (shadow) councils
April 2028 – The new unitary councils officially launch and existing councils cease to exist

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