questionText: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his decision letter to council leaders in Essex on local government reorganisation, dated 25 March 2026, whether the debt acquired by Basildon council over the last two years was considered when deciding it should merge with Thurrock.
answerText: All proposals for local government reorganisation were considered carefully, on a case‑by‑case basis, against the criteria set out in the statutory guidance, alongside responses to the consultation, representations made, and all other relevant information...
heading: Basildon Council: Debts