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 her Oral Statement of 7 September 2026 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report, columns 667-669, how much has been budgeted to pay costs and damages to the councils which initiated legal action; and how much her Department has spent on legal advice and representation to date.

It is a longstanding principle that the government does not publish or comment on legal advice. Any costs resulting from the judicial review proceedings will be determined in the usual way.