Local Government Reorganisation

Lord Harper Excerpts

Monday 7th September 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Cryer (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Harper (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Katz) (Lab)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Liberal Democrat Benches, then we will hear from the Labour Benches and the Conservative Benches.

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

I can reassure my noble friend that there is no drawing back on the programme of devolution. It is a very key part not just of government policy but of the Government’s vision for the country. For too long, we have had a very centralised model in this country. Many of the people in this room have been council leaders and will have been at the sticky end of that model. We do not want a begging-bowl culture where local councils have to go to Westminster for almost anything they want, whether a small power to do something or funding for an important local project. There is no rowing back from that at all. I am sure that noble Lords have heard enough from our new Prime Minister to know that his commitment to devolution has been strengthened by the years he spent as Mayor of Manchester, not weakened or diminished in any way. I know he is keen that we get that power and funding out to every postcode in the country, so that our country can achieve the potential we know it has—in every corner of the United Kingdom.

[Lord Harper (Con)]

My Lords, I would like to probe the Minister on a couple of the things she said, because I think they were a tiny bit inconsistent. The Statement says that there will be a full review and the Minister said it would be a rapid review—and she also said in one of her answers that outside organisations would be given the opportunity to contribute, implying that there will be a public consultation. If it is to be a rapid review, then I do not understand why we are having elections next year. Can the Minister give some indication to those council candidates and successful councillors the term of office they are seeking to be elected to? If it is a rapid review, arguably the decisions will be taken before the elections have even taken place. You have to give people a level of certainty. There are a lot of inconsistencies in what the Government have set out, and they need to clarify these sooner rather than later.

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

It is possible to have both a rapid and full review. It means doing the work carefully but as quickly as possible. To create the level of certainty everybody wants to see across local government, the decision-making has to be completed quickly. The rapid review will look at the programme as a whole, and the work on the rewiring the state delivery plan must include a question about the role of local government in the devolved country. The review will be led by the Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth, and it will engage with MPs and all councils impacted. An extended delay is in no one’s interest. It is right that Ministers listen to concerns and the new Administration undertake this review to make sure that local government reorganisation aligns with our priorities and work on rewiring the state.