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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with Lancashire County Council on the financial sustainability of local services under the proposed devolution deal.

The funding and delivery of local services provided by local authorities including Lancashire County Council is separate from the Lancashire Combined County Authority. There have therefore been no discussions about the financial sustainability of local services in relation to devolution. We are continuing to work with Lancashire Combined County Authority to deepen their existing devolution agreement and, dependent on their ongoing governance review, we will explore a path towards mayoral devolution for the region.