To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities (a) she, (b) her Ministers and (c) her staff have met to discuss local government restructuring since 1 July 2006. (103921)

Ministers and civil servants from my Department have held numerous meetings with most local authorities at which a range of topics have been discussed and may have included, on occasion, local government reorganisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a full council is required to ratify the decision of a local authority to bid for unitary status under the local government White Paper proposals. (104054)

A proposal for future unitary structures must be submitted by a council or a group of two or more councils. Whether the decision to submit a proposal requires a decision by full council is a matter for individual authorities, having regard to the governance arrangements that they have adopted.