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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to take steps to enable communities covered by a borough council to retain (a) mayors, (b) honorary freemen and (c) honorary aldermen; and how appointments of other local officers of dignity will be made after unitarisation.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the treasured historic and ceremonial rights and privileges of local communities will be protected through the local government reorganisation process. General regulations governing unitarisation exercises provide that honorary freemen and aldermen of predecessor local authorities retain their status for the relevant successor unitary authorities.

After reorganisation, parish councils may make ceremonial appointments for their area. Where there is no such parish, at the request of the council involved, we can establish charter trustees for the areas of predecessor borough or city areas to preserve their historic rights and privileges, including the ability to appoint a mayor, deputy mayor, and honorary freemen and aldermen. We recognise this as an important issue for areas and if there will be a need for legislation to establish charter trustees this will be discussed with the area in advance of reorganisation.