Local Government Reorganisation

Lord Bach Excerpts

Wednesday 25th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My noble friend is quite right. There is precedent for cancelling elections. We have seen it done because of reorganisation and for other reasons. However, we have the opportunity, during the process of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, to look at that, which we will continue to do.

[Lord Bach (Lab)]

My Lords, local government reform is essential and should have happened years ago. That is why I am delighted to hear the Minister say tonight that it is the Government’s intention to carry on with it. I hope that it is at the same speed that they have shown so far.

I am from Leicestershire. The settlement that was reached 50 years ago was monstrously unfair to a number of cities—my own, Leicester, but other cities too—which were not given special status and their boundaries were kept the same. It is almost impossible for those cities to provide the services that they are duty bound to provide on the present boundaries. I hope that it is still very much in the Government’s mind that some of those cities need their boundaries redrawn so that they are fair and do justice to their citizens.