Question
I do not think that the Minister mentioned Essex in his statement, but he made a point about funding which I think is much appreciated—that areas have incurred costs in good faith. Does that apply to Essex? On the basis of £450,000 per new unitary previously announced, we would be due £2.25 million for the inconvenience and disruption to local government in Essex.
Answer
All the local authorities that were engaged in LGR, whether they were part of the four subject to the court challenges or the one that we are withdrawing today, will receive a payment for the work that they have done. The reorganisation programme is going ahead, so we are going to return to Hampshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk to complete that work.
Verdict: AMBER (55/100)
The reply clearly confirms that Essex is among the areas that will receive a payment for work done under local government reorganisation, including authorities involved in court challenges. However, it gives no figure and does not confirm or deny the £2.25 million amount, the £450,000-per-authority calculation, or the 'inconvenience and disruption' basis the question raised. The person who asked would probably need to follow up to get the specific sum and how it was calculated.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the funding the Minister mentioned for areas that have incurred costs in good faith applies to Essex. | Addressed | Direct | Statement 1 commits that every authority engaged in LGR, including those in the court challenges, will receive a payment for work done, and statement 3 names Essex explicitly among the four areas being returned to, so the reply confirms the funding applies to Essex. |
| Whether Essex would be due £2.25 million, calculated at £450,000 per new unitary authority previously announced, for the inconvenience and disruption to local government in Essex. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply confirms Essex will receive a payment, but it frames this as payment for work done and gives no figure, so it neither confirms nor denies the specific £2.25 million, the £450,000-per-authority calculation, or the 'inconvenience and disruption' basis the question names. |