Local Government Reorganisation

Debate between Amanda Hack and Jim McMahon

Thursday 29th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Jim McMahon]

I am delighted that the hon. Member has managed to find his seat today—he looks quite comfortable there, and there is not a prayer card in sight, as far as I can see. Actually, he makes the important point that local politics matters. What we do not want to do through reorganisation is take away the local, so the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 requires us to bring forward neighbourhood governance arrangements before Christmas. We want to try to have a unit of government within a council—to hardwire it and mainstream it, so that local councillors are given the respect that comes with being frontline councillors with the powers and resources to get things done in their area. We can do that at a bigger level and in a different way.

To be clear—although I know the hon. Member did not mean it—the Reform party is not taking the Government to court; local authorities have decided to issue claims. We need to make sure that we are not using local authorities for party political reasons.

[Amanda Hack (North West Leicestershire) (Lab)]

I thank the Minister for his statement. As he knows, I have been calling for a devolution settlement for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, which I was pleased was confirmed in yesterday’s Budget. However, we know that local government reorganisation is going to be key to long-term strategic growth in our communities, so it is disappointing to hear about this withdrawal now. I have more concerns, though, about how this uncertainty will impact our communities and our hard-working colleagues across local councils. In the light of this change, how will local authorities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland be supported to make sure it does not disrupt their long-term aim of providing excellent services to my residents?

[Jim McMahon]

My hon. Friend makes a very fair point about the impact of the delay. That has impacted a lot of council staff who have been working on this; it has definitely impacted chief officers, legal officers and councillors, which is why we committed to return as soon as possible. I think we have honoured that through the work we have done so far, but we will move at pace to make sure we can act as quickly as possible. Obviously, securing devolution and investment for the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland could be transformational for their communities and their economy.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Amanda Hack and Jim McMahon

Monday 9th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Local Government and English Devolution (Jim McMahon)]

The Government have delivered a settlement that begins to fix the foundations and makes available over £69 billion in 2025-26. In 2026-27, an improved approach will direct funding where it is needed most and provide certainty through the first multi-year settlement in over a decade.

[Amanda Hack]

Leicestershire, alongside other authorities, has been campaigning for fair funding in recent years, following 14 years of poor funding settlements by the last Government, meaning cuts to vital services. A lack of fair funding also means that schools in North West Leicestershire have some of the lowest levels of funding per student in the country. How will the Minister approach a fair funding settlement that considers the unique challenges faced by rural communities?

[Jim McMahon]

I thank my hon. Friend for her work in championing those issues. We are fundamentally reforming how we assess councils’ relative needs and resources, to ensure that funding is distributed to where it is needed most. That includes accounting for councils’ ability to raise resources locally, which the previous Government promised to do but ultimately failed to do in balancing the numbers. Targeting funding in that way will enable councils that have had to scale back services the most to be able to catch up and to ensure that everybody, across the whole of England, is able to access decent public services.