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

To ask His Majesty's Government what impact assessment they have undertaken of the effect of local government reorganisation on the financial stability of those local authorities involved.

As set out by the Secretary of State in her oral statement of 7 September, the Government has withdrawn the March 2026 decisions for Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, and paused activity for 14 areas while a full review of the local government reorganisation programme is conducted. We recognise the need for clarity and will set out next steps as soon as possible.

We keep all aspects of local government finance under review.