House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Somerset: Unitary Local Government

Monday 19 July 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

The Secretary of State expects to announce decisions on unitary proposals before the summer recess.
The Government will publish a summary of the consultation responses including the number of supporters for One Somerset and Stronger Somerset.
More than 5,500 responses were received to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset.

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Questions & Answers

Q1 Ian Liddell-Grainger Con

Local Government

Context

The consultation on unitary local government in Somerset has concluded, and there is a need for transparency regarding public support for different proposals.

Question

How many people who responded to the Government's consultation on unitary local government in Somerset supported (a) One Somerset and (b) Stronger Somerset?

Answer from Luke Hall

The Secretary of State expects to announce his decisions on the unitary proposals before the summer recess. Alongside those decisions, he will publish a summary of the consultation responses including all the detail sought by the MP.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific figures and breakdown were not provided

How: On Track To Publish

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Q2 Ian Liddell-Grainger Con

Parliamentary Procedure

Context

The consultation on unitary local government in Somerset has concluded, yet the Government is delaying publication of detailed results.

Question

That is the most pathetic answer I think I have heard in 20 years. The Government's consultation for the unitary was finished months ago. I have asked parliamentary questions and written to the Minister—I have tried everything. If on 13 December 2019 the returning officer in Thornbury and Yate had stood up to announce that a total of 52,000 votes had been cast but refused to declare the winner, there would have been outrage. Why will the Government not come clean over this? Why are they holding it back? Why on earth has this become an issue? Let us just hear who won the Government's consultation. Please tell us now and tell the House.

Answer from Luke Hall

Thank you, Mr Speaker. We will publish the outcome before the summer recess as promised, showing the proportion of respondents who supported different proposals along with a summary of their views. More than 5,500 responses were received to the consultation on local government reorganisation in Somerset.