Written questions by McMurdock.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, what discussions he has had with special advisers on the cancellation of local elections.

On 18 December councils undergoing local government reorganisation were invited to set out their views on the postponement of their local election and if they consider this could release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation. As is standard for decisions of this nature, the Secretary of State had discussions with relevant colleagues in Government. We will consider all the representations we receive, including any from the Electoral Commission. Nine local elections in 2025 were postponed and the rationale for that decision has been set out to the House, including in the Explanatory Memorandum that accompanies the Order that changed the year of elections.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the cancellation of local elections in May 2026.

On 18 December councils undergoing local government reorganisation were invited to set out their views on the postponement of their local election and if they consider this could release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation. As is standard for decisions of this nature, the Secretary of State had discussions with relevant colleagues in Government. We will consider all the representations we receive, including any from the Electoral Commission. Nine local elections in 2025 were postponed and the rationale for that decision has been set out to the House, including in the Explanatory Memorandum that accompanies the Order that changed the year of elections.

Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from Essex County Council regarding the preferred restructuring of Essex councils.

Basildon Borough Council, Castle Point Council, Essex County Council, Rochford Council, Southend-on-Sea Council and Thurrock Council, together with 9 other councils in Essex, submitted four proposals for unitary local government in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.Southend-on-Sea City Council, Chelmsford City Council, Basildon Borough Council, Brentwood Borough Council, Castle Point Borough Council, Colchester City Council, Harlow District Council, Maldon District Council, Tendring District Council and Uttlesford District Council proposed 5 unitary councils.Essex County Council, Braintree District Council and Epping Forest District Council proposed 3 unitary councils.Rochford District Council proposed 4 unitary councils.Thurrock Council proposed a different 4 unitary councils.The 15 principal councils collectively wrote to the department to state that whilst there was no consensus on one proposal, there was collective agreement that regardless of the final decision, all partners are committed to working together to ensure that whichever model is selected is delivered in the best possible way.The 15 principal councils in the area were invited to respond to the statutory consultation on the four proposals, which closed on 11 January. The House will be updated in due course on the outcome of the consultation.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, whether he will accept representations from opposition councillors in Basildon, Thurrock and Essex on the cancellation of local elections.

Local government reorganisation is complex and we have listened to councils telling us about the constraints they are operating within, and the work that reorganisation introduces on top of existing challenges. On 18 December I invited councils undergoing local government reorganisation with local elections in May 2026 to set out their views on the postponement of their local election and if they consider this could release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation. Councils are in the best position to judge the impact of potential postponements on their area and in the spirit of devolution and trusting local leaders, this government will listen to them. They have been asked to make any request for a postponement explicit, as this will of course be relevant in deciding whether postponement is necessary for a particular council. If a Council does not make an explicit request or provide clear views and evidence in respect of their judgment on capacity, then the Secretary of State will take that into account and consider relevant evidence – but it will clearly make the decision making process more difficult and the Secretary of State will be less likely to decide to delay, given the locally-led approach taken. The Secretary of State is only minded to make an Order to postpone elections for one year for those councils who raise capacity concerns. It is ultimately up to councils how or whether they respond. We have been transparent about this process and will consider all the representations we receive. The Secretary of State will consider the position of each council individually, weighing up the evidence received. The deadline for responses is 15 January and after this the Secretary of State will decide whether to make an Order to change the year of council elections and the House will be updated.

Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, if his Department will reject requests to cancel May 2026 elections if the relevant councils have already made significant progress on local government reorganisation.

Local government reorganisation is complex and we have listened to councils telling us about the constraints they are operating within, and the work that reorganisation introduces on top of existing challenges. On 18 December I invited councils undergoing local government reorganisation with local elections in May 2026 to set out their views on the postponement of their local election and if they consider this could release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation. Councils are in the best position to judge the impact of potential postponements on their area and in the spirit of devolution and trusting local leaders, this government will listen to them. They have been asked to make any request for a postponement explicit, as this will of course be relevant in deciding whether postponement is necessary for a particular council. If a Council does not make an explicit request or provide clear views and evidence in respect of their judgment on capacity, then the Secretary of State will take that into account and consider relevant evidence – but it will clearly make the decision making process more difficult and the Secretary of State will be less likely to decide to delay, given the locally-led approach taken. The Secretary of State is only minded to make an Order to postpone elections for one year for those councils who raise capacity concerns. It is ultimately up to councils how or whether they respond. We have been transparent about this process and will consider all the representations we receive. The Secretary of State will consider the position of each council individually, weighing up the evidence received. The deadline for responses is 15 January and after this the Secretary of State will decide whether to make an Order to change the year of council elections and the House will be updated.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release entitled £78bn for councils in turning point settlement to cut deprivation, published on 17 December 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that councils spend allocated money to benefit all residents.

The government is making good on long overdue promises to fundamentally update the way we fund local authorities, realigning funding with need and deprivation through the first multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement in a decade. We are introducing a fairer and evidence-based funding system, which will account for local circumstances, including different ability to raise income locally from council tax and the variation in cost of delivering services. Further information on how funding allocations have been calculated is available in the government’s response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 and the provisional Settlement 2025-26 to 2028-29. Local authorities are responsible for their own borrowing and investment decisions but must operate within a legislative and guidance framework designed to ensure that borrowing is prudent, affordable and sustainable. The government is responsible for that framework and monitors sector behaviour using information and data from a range of sources, including levels of borrowing and debt. To support compliance with the framework and to protect public money, the government is taking forward work to operationalise the new capital powers introduced by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, which provide for targeted intervention where councils take on excessive risk through borrowing and investment activity. On handling Thurrock’s debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release entitled £78bn for councils in turning point settlement to cut deprivation, published on 17 December 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure that councils are incentivised to pay off debts and ensure long-term financial stability.

The government is making good on long overdue promises to fundamentally update the way we fund local authorities, realigning funding with need and deprivation through the first multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement in a decade. We are introducing a fairer and evidence-based funding system, which will account for local circumstances, including different ability to raise income locally from council tax and the variation in cost of delivering services. Further information on how funding allocations have been calculated is available in the government’s response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 and the provisional Settlement 2025-26 to 2028-29. Local authorities are responsible for their own borrowing and investment decisions but must operate within a legislative and guidance framework designed to ensure that borrowing is prudent, affordable and sustainable. The government is responsible for that framework and monitors sector behaviour using information and data from a range of sources, including levels of borrowing and debt. To support compliance with the framework and to protect public money, the government is taking forward work to operationalise the new capital powers introduced by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, which provide for targeted intervention where councils take on excessive risk through borrowing and investment activity. On handling Thurrock’s debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release entitled £78bn for councils in turning point settlement to cut deprivation, published on 17 December 2025, what metrics his Department used to determine areas in greatest need.

The government is making good on long overdue promises to fundamentally update the way we fund local authorities, realigning funding with need and deprivation through the first multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement in a decade. We are introducing a fairer and evidence-based funding system, which will account for local circumstances, including different ability to raise income locally from council tax and the variation in cost of delivering services. Further information on how funding allocations have been calculated is available in the government’s response to the Fair Funding Review 2.0 and the provisional Settlement 2025-26 to 2028-29. Local authorities are responsible for their own borrowing and investment decisions but must operate within a legislative and guidance framework designed to ensure that borrowing is prudent, affordable and sustainable. The government is responsible for that framework and monitors sector behaviour using information and data from a range of sources, including levels of borrowing and debt. To support compliance with the framework and to protect public money, the government is taking forward work to operationalise the new capital powers introduced by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, which provide for targeted intervention where councils take on excessive risk through borrowing and investment activity. On handling Thurrock’s debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what plans his Department has to engage with the public in Thurrock Council’s area regarding any potential cancellation of the May 2026 local election.

On 18 December 2025 I invited Basildon Borough Council, Essex County Council and Thurrock Council and other councils undergoing local government reorganisation to set out their views on the postponement of their local election and if they consider this could release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation. We have been transparent about this process and will consider all the representations we receive, including any from members of the public. The deadline for responses is 15 January and after this the Secretary of State will decide whether to make an Order to change the year of council elections and the House will be updated. Minister Fahnbulleh also announced on 5 December 2025 that we are minded to hold the inaugural mayoral elections in Greater Essex in May 2028 so that the reorganisation process is complete before a Mayor is elected for Greater Essex. This is because I believe devolution works best when it is built on strong foundations so, moving forward, we want to aim for strong unitary structures being in place before areas access mayoral devolution. To ensure the benefits of devolution are not delayed, we will still establish the Greater Essex Mayoral Strategic Authority and lay the necessary statutory instrument to do so as soon as possible in 2026, subject to council consent. My colleague Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, the Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities, spoke to leaders in Greater Essex following the announcement of funding and next steps for the devolution agreements that are being developed through the Devolution Priority Programme. The Department has continued to engage closely with them since the announcement, jointly discussing the benefits devolution will bring to these areas.

Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what information his Department provided to local councils undergoing local government reorganisation regarding improving the effectiveness of public services.

We invited councils to develop proposals for unitary local government that prioritised the delivery of high quality and sustainable public services to citizens and for those proposals to set out the impacts on crucial public services, such as SEND. We will take final decisions on which proposal, if any, to implement having regard to all the criteria, including delivery of high quality public services, as well as any relevant evidence.

Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what proportion of people employed by councils in Greater Essex does his Department expect will be required for the new council structure.

We anticipate the vast majority of local council workers will transfer to roles in the relevant new unitary council and all workers will be protected by the relevant employment laws.

Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what discussions his Department have had with the commissioners at Thurrock Council on the preferred option for which councils Thurrock should merge with.

Thurrock Commissioners were involved in the development of reorganisation proposals and my officials met with them in the course of those and other responsibilities. The Department met with councils following the submission of proposals on 26 September, and officers from Basildon attended the meeting on the five unitary authority proposal meeting in November. Baroness Taylor of Stevenage visited Basildon on 12 December, where local government reorganisation was raised. On the wider question of Thurrock’s debt and the general handling of council debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what recent discussions his Department has had regarding financial support for whichever restructured council area inherits the debts of Thurrock, Basildon, and Essex Councils.

Thurrock Commissioners were involved in the development of reorganisation proposals and my officials met with them in the course of those and other responsibilities. The Department met with councils following the submission of proposals on 26 September, and officers from Basildon attended the meeting on the five unitary authority proposal meeting in November. Baroness Taylor of Stevenage visited Basildon on 12 December, where local government reorganisation was raised. On the wider question of Thurrock’s debt and the general handling of council debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, what discussions his Department have had with Basildon Council regarding the financial viability of the 5 council model where Basildon and Thurrock would merge.

Thurrock Commissioners were involved in the development of reorganisation proposals and my officials met with them in the course of those and other responsibilities. The Department met with councils following the submission of proposals on 26 September, and officers from Basildon attended the meeting on the five unitary authority proposal meeting in November. Baroness Taylor of Stevenage visited Basildon on 12 December, where local government reorganisation was raised. On the wider question of Thurrock’s debt and the general handling of council debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Councils offered flexibility to complete reorganisation, published on 18 December 2025, what discussions he has had with local government bodies in Essex on the expected change in the number of councillors following local government reorganisation.

No decisions have yet been taken on reorganisation in Essex, Southend on Sea and Thurrock and as such the Secretary of State has not had discussions on any expected change in the number of councillors. On 5 February 2025, the Government invited two-tier authorities and their neighbouring small unitary councils to develop proposals for unitary local government. In those proposals, areas were asked to include details of the expected number of councillors for any new unitary council. The four proposals submitted by councils in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock each included councillor numbers. Consultation on these proposals closed on 11 January 2026. The Secretary of State will now consider the proposals, alongside consultation responses and other available evidence, before deciding which, if any, to implement.

Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the annual cost to local authorities of servicing Private Finance Initiative contracts.

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) collect the Unitary Payment information for all PFI Contracts held by Local Authorities annually as part of the HM Treasury PFI Data collection exercise. This is shared with relevant Sponsoring Government Departments on a project-by-project basis, the data is not aggregated by Authority but shown per contract.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, what analysis his Department has conducted on the suitability of establishing parish councils in areas undergoing local government reorganisation.

The government recognises that local authorities undergoing Local Government Reorganisation may wish to establish new town and parish councils through the separate Community Governance Review process. In doing so, they should show how these will contribute to reorganisation’s overall goal of creating simpler structures that deliver high quality and sustainable public services to citizens. The government views the existing Community Governance Review process as suitable in ensuring that parishing arrangements reflect the needs and wishes of local communities.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, whether he plans to abolish the system of elections by thirds.

The Government has no plans to abolish election by thirds.

Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1130, whether his Department have any plans to set a per-capita upper limit for debt inheritance for reorganised councils in Essex.

On the management of debt, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77936 on 13 October 2025. It is the responsibility of councils to manage their budgets, and it is standard for councils to borrow and to hold debt, which they will do in the normal course of business. Local government reorganisation does not change this.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of local authorities with significant Private Finance Initiative liabilities.

Local authorities are responsible for their own capital strategies and financial management, including borrowing and investment decisions. They must, however, comply with statutory duties and guidance to ensure that all decisions are prudent, affordable and sustainable and consistent with their Best Value duty. The PFI Programme team attend regular intelligence sharing forums with other teams in the Department who are responsible for overseeing local authority financial stability. The Department provides PFI grant funding to its local authority PFI contracts funding the capital elements of the projects, this ranges 50-70% of the annual Unitary Charge. Local authorities are contractually obliged to pay the annual Unitary Charge under the terms of their PFI Contract. The PFI Grant paid by the Department was awarded by HM Treasury at the Financial Close of the Project Procurement and is paid for the whole of the PFI Contract term to support the Unitary Charge payment.