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 20 January 2025 to Question 23337 on Local Government: Debts, what will happen to existing Council debt following local government reorganisation where a local authority is carrying debt but is not subject to either an (a) best value notice and (b) exceptional financial support framework.

It is the responsibility of councils to manage their budgets, and it is standard for councils to borrow and to hold debt, which they will do in the normal course of business. Local government reorganisation does not change this.