Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the oral evidence by the Deputy Director, Local Government Accountability and Audit, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, at the Public Accounts Committee, Oral evidence: Whole of Government Accounts 2023-24, HC 1243, 11 December 2025, Question 25, and the objective to complete reorganisation by April 2028, on what date will elections be held for the new unitary councils other than Surrey.

The Secretary of State will consider the position of each council individually, weighing up the evidence received. This means that different decisions may be taken for different councils within the same local government reorganisation invitation area that have local elections scheduled, depending on the representations received.

As I set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 18 December (HCWS1215), I remain committed to the indicative timetable that was published in July, that sees elections to new councils in May 2027 and those councils going live in April 2028.