Local Government: East of England Mr. Swire To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse has been of all legal proceedings relating to the structural review of Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon. Ms Rosie Winterton The Department does not hold information about the costs incurred by local authorities for legal proceedings that they have brought relating to the structural reviews in Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk. The current costs incurred by the Department are set out in the following table. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |Legal costs to Department (£)| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Challenge against the Boundary Committee where the Secretary of State has been named as an Interested Party brought by:| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Breckland District Council and Others |62,450 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |East Devon District Council |31,820 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Suffolk Coastal (R oao Forest Heath District Council) |45,875 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |King’s Lynn and Others |6,833 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Challenge against the Secretary of State brought by: | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Devon and Norfolk County Councils |3,461 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In litigation against the Boundary Committee related to the structural reviews, the Secretary of State appeared as an Interested Party and therefore did not seek costs. The Boundary Committee has incurred costs of some £358,700, some of which it is seeking to recover from local authorities involved in the litigation.