Local Government Reorganisation

Gareth Snell Excerpts
Monday 13th July 2026

(4 weeks, 2 days ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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No. Make your mind up!

Gareth Snell Portrait Gareth Snell (Stoke-on-Trent Central) (Lab/Co-op)
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I thank the Minister for her answers. She will know that local government reorganisation is one side of the coin, and devolution is the other. In places like Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, access to bus franchising, the adult skills agenda and spatial planning is the real victory that we look for. When the announcement comes this week on the new local authority boundaries, will she be able to give any insight on when decisions about strategic authorities will be made? When might there be the first elections for those, so that we can access the devolved powers that we desperately want?