The cost of retaining Type 23 frigates in reserve

Could the Royal Navy retain Type 23 frigates instead of selling or disposing of them?

A handful of the best hulls might support a reserve fleet, but only after costly refits.

The answer rejects the idea that all thirteen Type 23 frigates could simply remain available after replacement. Perhaps five or six hulls might be sound enough to form the core of a reserve fleet. Even those ships would require substantial refits before they could be relied upon, so reserve status would not eliminate maintenance cost. The proposal is therefore a selective force-expansion option rather than a cheap way to preserve the entire class.