Six of Gloucestershire’s seven councils, including Cheltenham Borough Council, have formally requested to join the West of England Combined Authority to better align the county with regional economic growth. The joint letter, sent on 30 March 2026 to government ministers Matthew Pennycook and Miatta Fahnbulleh, proposes a plan to boost regional collaboration and access more investment for local infrastructure and services.
The councils involved in the request are Gloucestershire County Council, Gloucester City Council, Cotswold District Council, Cheltenham Borough Council, Stroud District Council, and the Forest of Dean District Council. Tewkesbury Borough Council is expected to confirm its own position on the matter during a meeting in April 2026. The West of England Combined Authority, currently led by Mayor Helen Godwin, includes Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire.
According to Gloucestershire County Council Leader Lisa Spivey, the county already shares strong economic ties with the West of England in high-growth sectors such as cyber and secure tech, green energy, digital, aerospace, agri-tech, and advanced manufacturing. Leaders believe that joining the authority will strengthen these existing relationships across transport, skills, and health footprint. The proposed first step is the creation of a countywide Foundation Strategic Authority by May 2027, which would serve as a transition before moving toward full membership.
This initiative is running alongside a separate government review of local government in Gloucestershire. Ministers are expected to decide by the summer of 2026 whether the county should be restructured into one or two unitary authorities. Local taxpayers are expected to fund this reorganisation, with estimated costs ranging from £21.3 million for a single authority to £30.1 million if the area is split into two.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
