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, HCWS998, on Local government reorganisation, and with reference to the debt write-off of Woking Borough Council, whether he plans to do the same for any other councils following restructuring.

In general, as with previous rounds of local government reorganisation, there is no proposal for council debt to be addressed centrally or written off as part of reorganisation.

Alongside Woking Borough Council, and as I set out on 13 October, Thurrock Council holds significant unsupported and exceptional debt that cannot be managed locally in its entirety as a result of historic capital practices. The Government has committed to providing debt repayment support. Any support will need to consider value for money for the taxpayer and what can be done locally to reduce debt. We will continue to work with the Council and Commissioners and provide further details in due course.