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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with local authorities in (a) Surrey and (b) Hampshire on maintaining support for community transport operators following local government reorganisation.

Local support for community transport operators remains a matter for local authorities in Surrey and Hampshire, or any future local authorities that may be set up following local government reorganisation.

Before a local government reorganisation proposal can be implemented, the Secretary of State must first consult any council affected that has not submitted the proposal, as well as any other persons considered appropriate. This includes local public service providers in the area.

The consultation on local government reform in Surrey closed on 5 August. A decision will now be made on which proposal, if any, to implement.

Hampshire is part of the Devolution Priority Programme and final proposals for local government reform in the county are due to submitted to the Government by 26 September.