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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to her oral statement of 7 September 2026, Official Report, on local government reorganisation, what is the latest timetable for shadow unitary council elections to be held.

We want to pause and reflect on the local government reorganisation programme as a whole before implementing final decisions. We recognise the need for clarity; extended delay is in no-one’s interest. We will set out next steps as soon as possible.