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 Flexible Voting Pilot 2027: prospectus, published on 24 August 2026, section 5, for what reason pilot schemes are not open to areas electing shadow unitary authorities.

The flexible voting pilots are being conducted using powers under section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 2000, which provides for pilot schemes at local elections.

Under that Act, the relevant authority must apply to the Secretary of State to run a pilot. As the shadow unitary authorities do not yet have formal legal status as local authorities in law and did not do so prior to the pilot scheme application deadline, they cannot make such an application and therefore cannot pilot at the May 2027 elections.