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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025, to Question 89916, on Local Government: Reorganisation, whether the existing council elections within the area described as Greater Essex, scheduled for May 2026, (a) will or (b) will not be cancelled as a consequence of the unitary restructuring proposals announced in the written statement of 19 November 2025, HCWS1071, on Local Government Reorganisation.

There are no plans to introduce such legislation to cancel any May 2026 elections for any of the areas listed in the written statement. The only area where currently scheduled elections will be cancelled is in Surrey, where, subject to Parliamentary agreement, these will be replaced with elections to the new councils of East Surrey and West Surrey.