Government & Policy
Local-government reform, council naming, lieutenancy reform, consultations, legislation, Government and Parliamentary responses, and HCI policy interventions.
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Does the Historic Counties Institute want to restore pre-1974 county councils?
HCI does not seek to restore pre-1974 councils. It seeks recognition and use of the geographic counties separately from local-government and lieutenancy…
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Scottish local-government reform: HCI calls for new authority names to respect county identities
HCI’s response to proposals for Scottish local-government reform argues that any new authorities should use names that do not obscure or misrepresent…
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Government pauses local government reorganisation – a chance to fix the lieutenancies once and for all
HCI argues that the Government’s September 2026 pause in local-government reorganisation is an opportunity to separate lieutenancy areas from changing council boundaries.
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Lancashire will not disappear: what local government reorganisation actually changes
The Government selected a four-unitary model for Lancashire in July 2026, but the programme was paused for review in September. Whatever the…
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Proposed Ridgeway Council is 75% Berkshire – and creates a rare opportunity to fix the lieutenancies
The proposed Ridgeway Council would be predominantly Berkshire by geographic county. The Oxfordshire and West Berkshire reorganisation decision was paused for Government…
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Local government is changing again. This time, fix the lieutenancies for good
HCI argues that England’s local-government reorganisation is an opportunity to realign lieutenancy areas with the geographic counties and separate them from changing…
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Rutland is not being abolished: what local government reorganisation really means
The July 2026 decision for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland has since been paused for Government review. Whatever the council outcome, Rutland remains…
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14 New Local Government Structures Unveiled – Our Initial Reaction
This article recorded HCI’s initial reaction to the Government’s July 2026 local-government decisions. Those plans were subsequently paused for review in September…
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Gov’t says Counties Matter: So Why Still Misuse Them?
HCI argues that official recognition of the historic counties sits uneasily with administrative names that can blur the distinction between county geography…
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“Worcestershire” councils shake-up response
Our Worcestershire consultation response called for every affected geographic county identity to be recognised and kept distinct from proposed council areas.
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‘Warwickshire’ shake-up Response
Our Warwickshire consultation response called for all affected historic county identities to be recognised in any new council arrangements.
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Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Response
Our response to the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent proposals called for all affected historic county identities to be recognised in any new council…
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