Local government reorganisation · Option D
One council for
Greater Peterborough
The city of Peterborough and nine wards of western Huntingdonshire, brought together as a single new unitary authority — one council responsible for every local service, from bins to social care.
Welcome
A new council for the city and the places around it
By April 2028, every council in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will be replaced. Greater Peterborough is a proposal for what comes next.
Peterborough City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and the five district and city councils will all cease to exist, replaced by new unitary authorities — single councils responsible for every local service in their area.
Greater Peterborough would bring together the city of Peterborough and nine wards of western Huntingdonshire — including Huntingdon itself, Brampton, Sawtry and Yaxley — as one new council serving the city and the towns and villages that look to it.
Option D ExplainedWhat changes
One city, one council,
one front door
Today, depending on where you live, your services are split between councils: the county council runs roads, schools and social care, while district councils handle bins, planning and housing.
Under Greater Peterborough there would be a single council for the whole area — one place to go for every service, from bin collections and planning applications to children's services and adult social care. Fewer layers, less duplication, and clearer accountability when something needs fixing.
Town and parish councils are not affected. Local councils in villages across the area carry on exactly as they do now.
Why this shape
Built around how the area actually works
Peterborough is a growing city with its own distinct identity — a dense, diverse urban core surrounded by countryside and villages whose residents work, shop, study and seek healthcare in and around the city. The proposal — known formally as Option D, developed by Peterborough City Council and supported by Fenland District Council — would create three new unitary councils across the county:
Greater Peterborough
The city of Peterborough together with nine wards of western Huntingdonshire, including Huntingdon, Brampton, Sawtry and Yaxley.
Mid Cambridgeshire
Fenland, East Cambridgeshire and the eastern part of Huntingdonshire, including St Ives, St Neots and Ramsey.
South Cambridgeshire
Cambridge and the current South Cambridgeshire district, from the city to its surrounding villages.
Option D is one of four options put forward by councils across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The final decision rests with the government.
The joining wards
Nine wards, one everyday orbit
Alongside every existing Peterborough ward, Greater Peterborough would include nine wards from western Huntingdonshire.
Where things stand
The road to April 2028
The proposals were submitted to the government on 28 November 2025, and a formal public consultation ran from 5 February to 26 March 2026. The government is now considering the responses alongside each proposal's business case. Day to day, residents shouldn't notice abrupt changes — services carry on while the new arrangements are put in place.
Nov 2025 – Mar 2026
Proposals submitted to the government; formal public consultation held and closed.
Summer 2026
The government is expected to announce which proposal it will take forward.
2027
Elections to a “shadow” authority, which prepares the new council before it takes over.
April 2028
The new unitary councils formally begin, and the existing councils are abolished.