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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to her oral statement of 7 September 2026, Official Report, on local government reorganisation, whether her Department has formally responded to the proposal from the leader of City of Lincoln council on basing council ward sizes according to the Index of Deprivation, and what is her policy on the issue.

The Government is undertaking a review of the local government reorganisation programme. It has withdrawn the March 2026 decisions for Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, and paused activity in the other 14 areas, including Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire, while the review is undertaken. We recognise the need for clarity and will set out next steps as soon as possible.