Councils across the country are considering legal challenges following the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) decision to put Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) on hold.

Amber Valley Borough Council has taken initial steps towards a legal challenge against plans to split the authority in two, while Lancashire County Council announced it is acting to protect its legal position regarding LGR.

The moves come nearly a month after the government paused reorganisation plans to launch a review into select proposals, while placing all remaining proposals on hold.

Both Amber Valley and Lancashire claim it remains unclear whether the proposals approved for their areas in July have been formally scrapped. In response, both authorities have requested clarification from MHCLG.

Cllr Chris Emmas-Williams, leader of Amber Valley Borough Council, said: “We remain concerned that, although the government has paused work to implement its decision, it has not withdrawn its decision to split Amber Valley between two new councils.”

The council has now issued a pre-action letter outlining its concerns and establishing the grounds for a potential judicial review.

Discontent over LGR continues to spread beyond Derbyshire and Lancashire. Councils across Devon have voiced frustration over the pause, claiming they have collectively spent £5 million preparing for reorganisation and are now calling on the government to reimburse those costs.