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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral statement of 23 February 2026, Official Report, Column 78, on Local Government Reorganisation, how much of the £63 million in funding for councils is to be allocated to Retuning Officers to assist them with the cancelled, but then re-affirmed, local elections.

The £63 million capacity funding is to support councils going through local government reorganisation, with each new unitary authority receiving at least £900,000. It will be for councils to decide how to spend allocations, and this extra funding will help complete reorganisation effectively and sustainably.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 March 2026 on Local Government Reorganisation (HCWS1455), this transition funding is intended to support the reorganisation process and to establish effective services and governance arrangements. Further detail on allocations in areas where decisions have been taken is set out in that Statement and in letters to council leaders, published on gov.uk.

Local government elections are the responsibility of local authorities, which appoint and fund Returning Officers and meet the costs of administering local polls. Spending on local elections therefore remains a matter for local councils.