Oral Answers to Questions

Gregory Stafford Excerpts

Monday 9th June 2025 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Gregory Stafford (Farnham and Bordon) (Con)]

1. What steps her Department is taking to help prevent new unitary authorities from requiring exceptional financial support.

[The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Angela Rayner)]

Local government reorganisation will lead to better outcomes for residents and save a significant amount of money that can be reinvested in public services and improve accountability. It is for councils to develop robust, financially sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area.

[Gregory Stafford]

The rushed local government reorganisation means that Waverley borough in my area will be forced to join other authorities that are debt-ridden, such as Woking. What will the Secretary of State do to ensure that residents in my area do not pay a financial price for the woes of other authorities?

[Angela Rayner]

As set out in the invitation letters, and as with previous restructures, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation, but the Government accept that Woking and Thurrock councils hold significant unsupported debt that cannot be managed locally in its entirety. We have committed to providing an initial amount of debt repayment support for these councils in 2026-27 ahead of the reorganisation. This is unprecedented Government support.