Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities share (a) a chief executive, (b) senior officers and (c) senior officers with other public sector bodies; and if he will make a statement.

The Government does not collect data on the arrangements made by local authorities however it is aware that there are around 20 shared chief executives and many more shared management teams.

Local authorities can achieve very substantial benefits for their communities through joint working arrangements and sharing management structures. It gives local authorities the capacity and mechanisms to transform services so that they meet the needs of the communities that they serve and focus resources on where they make the biggest difference.

This Government will not prescribe how local authorities should organise their management structures but will encourage them to improve service delivery and productivity. There are already several types of local governance covering more than one local authority area including five combined authorities and the proposed Metro Mayor and Combined Authority in Greater Manchester.

The Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill will enable constituent authorities of cities to propose and negotiate with the Secretary of State the devolution of far reaching powers over economic development and transport and social care, under directly elected mayors. The Government has also committed to negotiating bespoke growth deals with other places.