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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter entitled Local government reorganisation: programme review and decisions withdrawal letter to council leaders, published on 7 September 2026, whether the Department will publish all non-privileged correspondence relating to the decision to establish five unitary authorities in Essex and the subsequent decision to withdraw that decision.

On 7 September 2026, the Secretary of State announced that decisions taken for Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk would be withdrawn and that implementation of other local government reorganisation decisions would be paused while the Government considers next steps.

It is a longstanding principle that the Government does not comment on or publish legal advice. The Government does not routinely publish correspondence relating to ministerial decision-making.