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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 October 2025 entitled Local Government Reorganisation, HCWS998, what estimate his Department has made of the debt that West Surrey council will inherit when it is established.

It is the responsibility of councils to manage their budgets, and it is standard for councils to borrow and to hold debt. The government was clear in statutory invitations for Reorganisation proposals (criterion 2f), that proposals should reflect the extent to which the implications of debt linked to historic capital practices could be managed locally.

On 28 October 2025, we announced our unprecedented commitment to repay in-principle £500 million of Woking Borough Council’s debt in 2026-27. This reflects significant unsupported debt held by the Council that cannot be managed locally. This is a first tranche of debt repayment support, and we will continue to explore what further debt support is required at a later point.

Government remains committed to achieving the best value for money for taxpayers in the rationalisation of Woking’s assets, and to providing interim financial support to the new council until a final decision is made.