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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential (a) costs and (b) merits of local government reorganisation in Surrey.

As set out to the House on 17 June, two proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Surrey were received on 9 May. In accordance with the guidance provided to two-tier areas, it is for councils to develop robust and sustainable proposals that are in the best interests of their whole area. Councils are responsible for working through the implications relating to local government reorganisation, including costs and merits.

Following the Government’s consultation which closed on 5 August, the proposals for Surrey will be considered carefully against the published criteria, alongside the responses received and all other relevant information. It would be inappropriate to comment at this stage or give a view on specific unitary proposals, or to pre-empt future decisions under the statutory process for unitarisation.