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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of previous local government restructuring on costs from pension strain in the Local Government Pension Scheme.

We have made no such assessment. As I stated in my answer to UIN 52862, local government reorganisation will have impacts on the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). We expect councils to work with relevant administering authorities on any implications of restructuring on the LGPS. The cost of any restructuring, including pensions, will depend on locally made decisions and the demographics and pension service of any staff leaving post.