One Gloucestershire: an SME guide to the new unitary council

What's changing

From a two-tier system to a single front door

Today, running a business in Gloucestershire means dealing with two layers of local government. Gloucestershire County Council handles highways, education, social care and waste disposal, while your district, borough or city council handles planning, licensing, business rates billing and waste collection. From April 2028, one council does all of it.

The decision

The government considered the proposals submitted by Gloucestershire's councils and chose the single-unitary option, concluding that one council covering the whole county "provides a sensible geography for economic growth and housing" and enables joined-up public services. The seven affected councils are Gloucestershire County Council, Cheltenham Borough, Cotswold District, Forest of Dean District, Gloucester City, Stroud District and Tewkesbury Borough.

Devolution comes with it

Alongside reorganisation, Gloucestershire is expected to join a mayor-led strategic authority under the government's English Devolution agenda. That body will take on devolved powers over transport, housing, skills and employment support, giving the county a stronger regional voice and more direct routes to funding.

Why it matters for business

The case for a single council is largely an economic one. A county-wide authority can plan housing, transport and employment land together, procure at scale, and speak to government with one voice. For SMEs the practical wins are simpler: one planning authority, one licensing team, one business rates account and one economic development service, instead of a map of boundaries to navigate.

Nothing changes overnight

Until 31 March 2028 every existing council carries on delivering its services as normal. Your current contacts, contracts and accounts all stand. The change is being planned over two years precisely so that businesses and residents see continuity, not disruption.

Timeline

The road to one Gloucestershire council

The process has been running since early 2025. Here is where things stand, and what happens next.

21 March 2025 Gloucestershire's councils submit their interim plan for reorganisation.
28 November 2025 Full proposals go to government, informed by resident and business input.
February to March 2026 Formal government consultation runs for seven weeks from 5 February.
16 July 2026 The government announces its decision: a single new unitary council for the whole county.
6 May 2027 Elections to the shadow authority, the new council in waiting that plans the handover, sets budgets and appoints senior officers.
1 April 2028 Vesting day. The new unitary council goes live and the existing seven councils are dissolved.

For SMEs

What the changes mean for small and medium-sized businesses

The new council inherits a ready-made economic agenda: Gloucestershire's Local Growth Plan for 2025 to 2035, which describes itself as "unapologetically pro-business" and names SMEs as the backbone of the local economy. Five missions run through it: talent and future skills, employment opportunities for all, thriving communities and culture, environment, housing and infrastructure, and innovation, investment and enterprise.

1

One point of contact

From April 2028, planning, licensing, business rates, procurement and business support sit with one authority. If you trade across district boundaries today, the duplicated paperwork goes.

2

Continuity until 2028

Services, contracts and applications continue under the current councils throughout the transition. Decisions made now, from planning permissions to rate reliefs, carry over to the new council.

3

Skills and hiring

Devolved skills and employment powers, plus the Growth Plan's talent mission, aim to close the skills gap in sectors from cyber and engineering to hospitality, construction and agriculture, easing one of the biggest constraints SMEs report.

4

Backing for start-ups and scale-ups

The plan commits to empowering start-ups and SMEs through the Growth Hub and sector groups, and to unlocking finance for a broader range of local enterprises. Gloucestershire firms already beat the England average for five-year survival, 44.3% against 39.3%.

5

Flexible workspace as policy

The Growth Plan explicitly commits to delivering "flexible, high-quality commercial workspace" and highlights that early-stage businesses need affordable, flexible space in accessible, high-demand locations. Expect flexible hubs to feature in the new council's economic strategy.

6

Local supply chains

Public sector procurement across the county will be pooled and pointed at local supply chains, social value and net zero innovation, opening more contract opportunities to smaller Gloucestershire businesses.

About Watermoor Point

The case study we know best: our own site

Strategy documents talk about flexible workspace, business communities and local supply chains. We publish this page because we have spent years proving that model in Cirencester, and we think it is exactly what Gloucestershire businesses will lean on through the change.

Watermoor Point, Cirencester

Over 100 businesses under one roof, on flexible terms

Watermoor Point is a six-acre flexible business hub in the heart of Cirencester, combining serviced offices, co-warehousing, self-storage and meeting rooms. It is a working example of exactly what Gloucestershire's Local Growth Plan calls for: affordable, flexible space where start-ups and growing SMEs can put down roots.

The zigzag rooftops of Watermoor Point at sunset, from above

The businesses based here, our members, range from one-person start-ups on co-working desks to established firms running offices and warehouse units side by side. Because space is taken on simple monthly terms rather than long leases, members scale up or down as trading conditions change. During a period of institutional change like the move to a single council, that kind of agility is worth as much as any grant.

The site also shows what "community wealth building" means in practice. Members trade with each other, share a cafe and communal spaces, and draw on shared services such as a goods-handling and forklift service for warehouse members, a 1GB leased line and 210 on-site parking spaces. It is a local supply chain in miniature, of the kind the Growth Plan wants to see strengthened county-wide.

The location tells its own story. Cotswold District, where Watermoor Point sits, records the county's best five-year business survival rate at 49.1%, well clear of the England average of 39.3%. Give businesses good space, low commitment and a genuine community, and they tend to last.

"The sense of community here is brilliant, with a welcoming atmosphere that makes it a pleasure to come in every day." Hannah H, Google review of Watermoor Point (rated 5.0)

100+

businesses on site

6 acres

of offices, warehousing and storage

210

parking spaces

1GB

leased line connectivity

49.1%

five-year business survival rate in Cotswold District, the county's best

5.0

Google rating from 47 reviews

Visit watermoorpoint.co.uk Book a tour

A member team working together in a serviced office at Watermoor Point — Serviced offices, from two desks to whole suites, on monthly terms.

A co-warehousing unit with pallet racking and stored goods — Co-warehousing units with a shared goods-handling and forklift service.

Members at the on-site cafe counter — The on-site cafe, where a lot of member-to-member trade starts.

Common questions

Reorganisation FAQs for businesses

Will council services change before April 2028?

No. All seven existing councils continue to run their services as normal until the new unitary council takes over on 1 April 2028. Bin collections, planning, licensing, business rates billing and every other service carry on exactly as they do today, with the same contacts.

What happens to my business rates?

Business rates are set nationally, so the reorganisation does not change how your bill is calculated. You keep paying your current district or borough council until 31 March 2028, after which the new unitary council takes over billing and collection. Reliefs such as Small Business Rate Relief continue to apply in the usual way.

What is the shadow authority?

The shadow authority is the new council in waiting. Its councillors will be elected on 6 May 2027 and will spend the following year planning the transition, setting budgets and appointing senior officers, while the existing councils keep delivering services. On 1 April 2028 it becomes the real thing.

What happens to a planning application I submit now?

It is determined by your current district, borough or city council under the existing local plan, exactly as before. Decisions, permissions and local plans all carry over to the new council, so nothing you secure now is lost in the transition.

What is devolution, and how is it different from reorganisation?

Reorganisation merges Gloucestershire's seven councils into one. Devolution transfers powers and funding down from central government to a mayor-led strategic authority covering a wider region, with responsibility for transport, housing, skills and employment support. Gloucestershire is expected to join a strategic authority alongside the move to a single council.

Where can I get business support during the transition?

The Gloucestershire Growth Hub network continues throughout, giving over 34,000 businesses access to tailored advice, funding routes, collaborative workspaces and sector groups. Inward investment support runs under the Invest in Gloucestershire brand. Both are backed by the Local Growth Plan for 2025 to 2035.

Seven councils are becoming one. Here is what it means for Gloucestershire businesses.