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 discussions his Department has had with councils in Surrey on establishing charter trustees.

The Government believes the historic identity, rights and privileges of cities and counties in England are important and should be safeguarded and celebrated. There have been no specific discussions on this matter with councils in Surrey to date, but we have confirmed that we will work together on the further legislation that we expect will be needed to cover matters such as ceremonial issues.