Question
The first of the Nolan principles is selflessness—acting solely in the public interest—but, according to feedback from councillors throughout the country, during the botched local government reorganisation process they felt that they were under pressure to put political considerations first: pressure that came from the previous Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Streatham and Croydon North (Steve Reed). The new Secretary of State told the House recently that she could not say whether his decision making was even lawful. Can she now tell the House whether the pressure that was put on those councillors to submit to his reorganisation agenda left them at risk of breaching the Nolan principles as well as the law?
Answer
The only pressure on us is the pressure that we place on ourselves to do the job well. As I said in my statement last week, there are no easy decisions on local reorganisation, and there is no perfect solution for most counties in England. What the Government have to do is balance competing interests and ensure that we assess the evidence base objectively, that we challenge when there may be gaps in the information provided, and, ultimately, that we make the best possible decision, and that is what we are getting on with doing.25% vibes
Verdict: RED (6/100)
The reply does not answer either part of the question. The first part asked whether councillors were at risk of breaching the Nolan principles, and the second asked whether they were at risk of breaching the law. Instead, the reply discusses the department's own decision-making and reframes 'pressure' as pressure the department places on itself. A member of the public would learn nothing about councillors' exposure and would likely need to ask the question again.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the department's view on whether the pressure placed on councillors to submit to the previous Secretary of State's local government reorganisation agenda left those councillors at risk of breaching the Nolan principles. | Not Addressed | Generic MISREADS QUESTION | The reply never considers whether councillors were at risk of breaching the Nolan principles; its only pressure-related line ('The only pressure on us is the pressure that we place on ourselves') reframes the question as being about pressure on the department, and the remaining statements are generic remarks about balancing interests and making good decisions. |
| What is the department's view on whether the pressure placed on councillors to submit to the previous Secretary of State's local government reorganisation agenda left those councillors at risk of breaching the law. | Not Addressed | Generic MISREADS QUESTION | Nothing in the reply addresses whether councillors were at risk of breaching the law; the statements cover the Government's own decision-making process and evidence handling, not the legal exposure of councillors under pressure. |