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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his Department's policy to accept proposals for unitarisation in the event that there is a disagreement between the councils affected by those proposals.

The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 provides that the secondary legislation about reorganisation may be made, if Parliament approves, providing one council in the area consents. We have made clear that if a reorganisation proposal is to be implemented there needs to be a good deal of local support.