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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of legislating for enhanced financial oversight mechanisms for newly established unitary authorities following Local Government Reorganisation.

Local authorities are responsible for their own financial management, and Local Government Reorganisation does not change this. We monitor the financial health of councils on a regular basis using a range of data as well as through extensive direct engagement. A key element of this is making sure that the public is protected from instances of local authority failure.