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LGR has been paused. Now is the moment to get organised.

Published 28/09/2026

Author: The CPS Team

What Does The Pause Mean For LGR?

The pause gives councils time to regroup, reduce uncertainty and turn months of preparation into a clearer, more manageable plan for what comes next.

The Government’s review of Local Government Reorganisation has changed the immediate picture for councils across England. Decisions for some areas have been withdrawn, while others are being reviewed, and affected councils have been asked to pause implementation work while the review takes place. 

For councils that have already invested months of time, effort and political focus into LGR preparation, the uncertainty is not just frustrating, it can make it harder to keep momentum, reassure teams and maintain confidence in the programme. But there is another way to look at the pause. 

It creates breathing space, not to slow down, but to step back, test assumptions and make sure the programme is ready to move when the direction becomes clearer.

  1. More time to step back. 
  2. More time to review the plan. 
  3. More time to work out what is needed. 

And, importantly, more time to get the many different projects and workstreams that sit underneath LGR properly organised.

Don't put everything on hold.

When a major programme is paused, it can be tempting to stop everything and wait for clarity. But there is plenty that councils can work on now. 

This is a good time to ask: 

  • What do we know?  
  • What has changed?  
  • What still needs to be worked out?  
  • What projects will we need to deliver?  
  • What depends on what?  
  • Where are the biggest risks?  
  • What information are we missing?  
  • What needs to be ready for Day One?  

And how are we going to manage it all?  

The final shape or timetable of LGR may change...

But the core work still needs attention. Councils still need to understand their services, data, people, systems, dependencies and risks before they can bring organisations together safely and confidently, but the need to plan doesn’t disappear.

Behind every LGR decision sits a large volume of practical work. It is not one project, but a set of connected workstreams that touch services, systems, data, people, governance and the citizen experience.

One of the challenges that can easily get overlooked is the sheer volume of work involved.

There could be projects covering:

  • Technology  
  • Data migration  
  • Identity and access  
  • Microsoft 365  
  • Applications  
  • Security  
  • Information governance  
  • Service integration  
  • Property and assets  
  • People and organisational change  
  • Communications  
  • Finance  
  • Procurement  
  • Service continuity  

These projects won’t operate independently. 

They will have dependencies, milestones, risks, decisions and resources that need to be coordinated. 

And that creates another important question: Without a clear way to track that work, programme teams can quickly lose sight of what is moving, what is blocked and what decisions need senior attention.

A lightweight way to get LGR projects organised

Not every council needs to introduce a huge project portfolio management system to get started. 

Sometimes you need something quick, practical and easy for project teams to use. That is where LGR Planner from CPS can help councils move from scattered activity to a clearer programme view. 

Built using Microsoft Planner and Power Platform, LGR Planner gives programme teams a familiar, practical way to bring activity together, improve visibility and make it easier for people across the council to understand what needs to happen next. Discover more on both Microsoft Planner here & Power Platform here.

It can
help councils:

Bring projects together

Create a central view of the different projects and workstreams contributing to LGR.

Track actions and activities

Give teams a simple way to manage tasks and keep work moving.

See progress

Understand what is on track, what needs attention and where activity is building up.

Manage dependencies

Identify where one project or activity relies on another.

Improve visibility

Give programme leads and stakeholders a clearer view of what is happening across the programme.

Work within the Microsoft environment

Use familiar Microsoft technologies rather than introducing another complex platform.

The important thing is that it is lightweight.

It isn’t about creating another layer of complexity. It’s about giving councils a practical place to organise the work they already need to do. 

From a list of projects to a managed programme. The difference can be significant. You might start with a spreadsheet containing dozens of projects, hundreds of activities and multiple owners. 

But as the programme grows...

…it becomes increasingly difficult to answer simple questions: 

  1. What’s happening? 
  2. What’s late? 
  3. What’s at risk? 
  4. What depends on what? 
  5. Who owns this? 
  6. What needs a decision? 

A lightweight PPM solution can bring that information together and provide a much clearer picture. 

And because it is built around Microsoft Planner and Power Platform, it can provide a practical starting point without requiring a major technology implementation.

Use the breathing space to get organised.

LGR Planner is just one part of the wider support CPS can provide. 

We can help councils look at the whole programme, from planning and governance through to the technology and operational changes that need to happen. That includes: 

Helping structure, govern and coordinate complex LGR programmes. 

  • LGR Planner 

A lightweight Microsoft Planner and Power Platform solution for managing LGR projects, actions and progress. 

Microsoft 365, identity, access, information protection and security. 

  • Data & Information 

Data strategy, governance, migration and information management. 

Applications, processes, integration and business systems. 

Looking beyond Day One at how the new organisation can work differently and more efficiently. 

The opportunity isn't to predict what happens next.

Nobody knows exactly how the Government’s review will conclude or what the future timetable will look like for every area. But councils don’t need every answer before they can start getting organised. 

The breathing space can be used to: 

  • Understand what you have. 
  • Work out what you need. 
  • Organise the projects. 
  • Identify the gaps. 
  • Map the dependencies. 
  • Strengthen the plan. 
  • Prepare for Day One. 

And when the direction becomes clearer, you’ll be in a much better position to move. The timetable may have changed. The need to prepare hasn’t. 

LGR has been paused. Now is the moment to get organised.

CPS can help you make the most of the breathing space, from managing the programme to getting individual projects organised.

Talk to CPS about how LGR Planner can help your council get organised, improve visibility and prepare with confidence for what comes next.

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