West Lancashire Borough Council, Chorley Council and South Ribble Borough Council have formally approved plans to work more closely together, marking an important step in preparation for LGR.
West Lancashire Borough Council, Chorley Council and South Ribble Borough Council have formally approved plans to work more closely together, marking an important step in preparation for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
All three councils have agreed recommendations to introduce shared senior leadership arrangements, specifically a shared Chief Executive and shared Monitoring Officer.
Lancashire is entering a once‑in‑a‑generation phase of Local Government Reorganisation, which will result in the creation of new unitary authorities. The areas of West Lancashire, Chorley and South Ribble Borough will form part of one of these new authorities from 1 April 2028, with existing councils ceasing to exist.
Given this context and following the recent retirement of West Lancashire Borough Council’s Chief Executive, the councils have identified an opportunity to take a forward‑looking and pragmatic approach.
Following approval by all three councils:
- The current Chief Executive of Chorley Council and South Ribble Borough Council will also take on the role of Chief Executive at West Lancashire Borough Council, providing strategic leadership across all three councils, including oversight of the LGR programme. This will take place following the appointment of a shared Deputy Chief Executive for Chorley and South Ribble.
- West Lancashire Borough Council will appoint a separate Deputy Chief Executive, responsible for day‑to‑day operational management and delivery of corporate priorities of West Lancashire.
- The current Monitoring Officer at West Lancashire Borough Council will take on the role of shared Monitoring Officer across the three councils, focusing on statutory governance responsibilities.
The approved reports also set out plans to protect organisational capacity and continuity, including additional support roles during the transition period.
Political leaders at all three councils were unanimous in their support for the recommendations.
Councillor David Whittington, Leader of West Lancashire Borough Council, said: “This proposal is about taking sensible, proactive steps to ensure West Lancashire is well placed for the future. By working more closely with Chorley and South Ribble, something I have personally been advocating and raised in meetings for many years, we can strengthen leadership capacity, maintain strong local decision‑making and provide stability for our workforce and residents as we move through Local Government Reorganisation.
“This is very much a partnership of equals. West Lancashire will remain an independent Council, proudly focused on delivering for our communities, while benefiting from closer collaboration during a period of significant change.”
Councillor Alistair Bradley, Leader of Chorley Council said: “The proposals to work more closely with West Lancashire is an obvious and sensible step in preparation for further change as we move into local government reorganisation. We have seen first-hand the benefit of working closely with our neighbouring authority, South Ribble, and so the sharing of these two senior positions will build on this. The areas of Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire share many commonalities, and so shared expertise and experience across the authorities can only further improve services what we do.
“We still have two years to go before reorganisation and so for now, it is very much business as usual for Chorley Council as we continue to provide excellent services on behalf of our residents.”
Councillor Matthew Tomlinson, Leader of South Ribble Borough Council said “South Ribble has developed a strong and growing partnership with Chorley, delivering clear and tangible benefits for our residents. With local government reorganisation on the horizon, this is the right time to build on that success by strengthening our collaboration with West Lancashire.
“In the meantime, South Ribble Borough Council remains ambitious for our communities, and we are confident in our ability to continue delivering high-quality services for all.”
The approved arrangements establish a partnership of equals, ensuring all three councils benefit from closer collaboration while continuing to operate as independent authorities, each with their own priorities, identities and democratic decision‑making. The partnership does not constitute a merger.