Local Government: Reorganisation
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with refence to his Department's oral statement of 18 December 2025 on Local Government Reorganisation, Official Report col 1132, what discussions his Department has had with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England on the viability of preparing new ward boundaries for the 2028 local elections in reorganised council areas.
Answered by Alison McGovern
As stated in the previous answer to Questions UIN 59361 and UIN 77939, my department is liaising closely with the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (the Commission) so that they are involved at the appropriate time to ensure fair electoral arrangements for all new councils.
Once Ministers have reached a decision on which proposal, if any, to implement, then electoral arrangements will be included in the structural changes order that establishes any new councils. These will be built using a mixture of existing wards, divisions or, in some cases, parishes. The Government expects to work closely with the relevant councils and the Commission to ensure these arrangements are fit for purpose for the first elections, anticipated to be in May 2027, and have regard to the Commission’s criteria. The Commission then expects to carry out an electoral review of all newly established councils after their first elections and before their subsequent elections.
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