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, whether she has a current policy on the recommended population size or population range of a new unitary council, and whether this will be part of the review.

The criteria set for Local Government Reorganisation took into account a range of important considerations which local leaders and government itself used to inform the process, including on population size. The programme allowed for councils to make the case for new unitary authorities either larger, or smaller than the 500,000-population guide, if they believed it was right for their area. The submissions received reflected this.

On the wider question of the review currently being undertaken, 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.