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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they will use to assess local support in the public consultation on local government reorganisation in Cumbria, published on 22 February.

The Government welcomes the views of all those interested in the proposals for local government reorganisation in Cumbria, including local residents, town and parish councils, businesses and the voluntary sector. Once the consultation is concluded, the Government will decide, subject to parliamentary approval, which, if any, proposals are to be implemented, with or without modification. In taking these decisions it will have regard to all the representations it has received, including those from the consultation, and all other relevant information available to it, and reach a balanced judgement assessing the proposals against criteria, including on local support which will be assessed in the round across the whole area of the proposal.