Member

Amendment 216, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, seeks to prevent the Secretary of State delaying local elections by more than one year if the delay results from reorganisation provisions made by this Bill. Although I have said this before, I reiterate the Government’s position, which is that elections should go ahead unless there is strong justification otherwise. I have already outlined the process of reorganisation, which can generate circumstances where there are strong reasons for postponement. During the initial phase of reorganisation, postponement can release vital capacity for reorganisation, and avoid the cost and destruction of elections to councils that are likely to be abolished. Once a structural changes order is made, elections to councils that will be abolished are replaced by elections to new councils. The reorganisation process is fluid and, for this reason, the Secretary of State’s flexibility to consider important questions such as this at each relevant point is essential to the smooth delivery of the programme.