Written question asked by Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative) on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 30 June 2025 (named day). It was answered by Jim McMahon (Labour) on Monday, 30 June 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Unitary Councils
- Question
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To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the minimum population size is that a unitary council can consist of within the local government reform framework.
- Answer
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New unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks. The population size of 500,000 or more – as set out in the invitation and in the English Devolution White Paper – is a guiding principle, not a target. We understand that there should be flexibility, especially given our ambition to build out devolution and take account of housing growth, alongside Local Government Reorganisation, and have asked that all proposals, whether they are at the guided level, above it, or below it, should set out the rationale for the proposed approach clearly.
All proposals will be assessed against all the criteria in the invitation. Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance and the available evidence. That evidence will include information provided by the councils as part of their proposals, representations received during the statutory consultation, and other relevant information available.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 62328
- Session
- 2024-26
- Related items
- Grouped for answer
- Yes
- Subjects
- Local government Reorganisation Unitary councils
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-01-26 10:44:36 +0000
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-25/62328
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- http://indexing.parliament.uk/Content/Edit/1?uri=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-25/62328
- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-25/62328