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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking through the English Devolution Bill to define the statutory governance relationship between combined authorities and lower-tier district councils.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 does not prescribe a single model for combined authorities’ and combined county authorities’ relationship with district councils, nor does relevant predecessor legislation from 2023 (for combined county authorities) and 2009 (for combined authorities).

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is the only combined authority whose area includes two-tier local government.

District councils cannot be constituent members of a combined county authority but can serve as non-constituent members or on committees / advisory boards. These arrangements are for local agreement.

As local government reorganisation replaces two-tier areas with unitary councils, those councils will be able to become constituent members of their strategic authority.