Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the financial position of Spelthorne Council.

It is the responsibility of all local authorities to manage their own finances and ensure that they set and maintain a balanced budget position. It is also for local authorities to determine their own borrowing and investment strategies, but in doing so they have to appropriately comply with the Prudential Framework and its four statutory Codes. The government has made clear that authorities should not borrow to invest for profit. The government is taking actions to strengthen the capital system and continues to monitor risks across the sector including local authorities’ borrowing profile and associated risks, and engages with individual local authorities where appropriate.