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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what timetable she has set for (a) concluding her Department’s review of the local government reorganisation programme and (b) announcing decisions for areas whose reorganisation was paused under that review.

As set out in my statement to the House on 29 October, the first phase of the review is now complete. The Government has reached minded-to decisions in five areas, while the remaining 15 areas continue to be considered as part of the review. Councils will be informed at the earliest practical opportunity, meaning that some areas may receive an outcome before others.

The Government will update the House on a further set of outcomes by Christmas, and every area will have an outcome by early 2027.