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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure that local authorities in Northamptonshire transition successfully to the two new unitary authorities on time and on budget and (b) prepare for the proposed new unitary authorities not being operational on time and on budget.

The Secretary of State made his decision to implement the Northamptonshire councils’ unitary proposal with one modification. This modification was to extend the period for implementing the new arrangements so the new councils are operational from 1 April 2021. We took this step to ensure a successful transition to the two new unitary authorities and that there would be confidence locally about a safe and effective transition to all the new service delivery arrangements across the whole of the area, including for those crucial services supporting the most vulnerable.