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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to announce proposals this year for the reorganisation of local government in England; and whether county council elections will take place in May 2021.

The Government wants to decentralise giving more power to local communities, providing opportunities for them to enjoy devolution. The Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper, which will be published in due course, will set out our detailed plans and we continue to work closely with local areas to establish solutions to local government reform. There will be no blanket abolition of district councils or cancellation of the county council elections, and no top-down restructuring of local government.