Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to create delineated funding mechanisms for different tiers of local government in the proposed English Devolution Bill.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The government has no plans to create further delineated funding mechanisms for different tiers of local government in the proposed English Devolution Bill.
The English Devolution White Paper set out that where a Strategic Authority takes on powers which are currently funded outside the Local Government Finance Settlement or the Integrated Settlements, such as Mayoral Capacity Funding, MHCLG will work with the relevant department or organisation to explore funding this through one of these routes.
Further detail on the interactions between Local Authority and Mayoral Strategic Authority funding will be set out in the upcoming consultation on Local Authority funding reform.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the English Devolution Bill will include measures to tackle financial disparities between parish and town councils in the same region.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The government values the contributions made by town and parish councils to the delivery of local services.
Local authorities may wish to collaborate with town and parish councils to determine how they can most effectively contribute to service delivery under future arrangements. In doing so, they should consider the financial and administrative support required by town and parish councils, as well as the potential impact of new responsibilities on local taxpayers through increases to parish precepts. Central government has no role in funding town and parish councils.
Town and parish councils are independent organisations local authorities should not rely on them as a substitute for their own meaningful community engagement and local area working. Local Government Reorganisation should facilitate better and sustained community engagement, and I welcome the steps areas are taking to consider how to maintain strong community voice.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the forthcoming English Devolution Bill will include provisions to recognise the role of parish and town councils in local service delivery.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The government values the contributions made by town and parish councils to the delivery of local services.
Local authorities may wish to collaborate with town and parish councils to determine how they can most effectively contribute to service delivery under future arrangements. In doing so, they should consider the financial and administrative support required by town and parish councils, as well as the potential impact of new responsibilities on local taxpayers through increases to parish precepts. Central government has no role in funding town and parish councils.
Town and parish councils are independent organisations local authorities should not rely on them as a substitute for their own meaningful community engagement and local area working. Local Government Reorganisation should facilitate better and sustained community engagement, and I welcome the steps areas are taking to consider how to maintain strong community voice.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to include provisions in the English Devolution Bill to standardise ethical conduct and behaviour in (a) parish councils, (b) town councils and (c) other levels of local government.
Answered by Jim McMahon
In December 2024, the government launched a consultation seeking views on proposed measures to strengthen the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England, including the introduction of the sanction of suspension, to empower local authorities of all types and tiers to deal appropriately with member misconduct where it arises. The government response will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the detailed policies for implementation.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has considered including new standards in public life clauses in the English Devolution Bill.
Answered by Jim McMahon
In December 2024, the government launched a consultation seeking views on proposed measures to strengthen the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England, including the introduction of the sanction of suspension, to empower local authorities of all types and tiers to deal appropriately with member misconduct where it arises. The government response will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the detailed policies for implementation.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take through the English Devolution Bill to involve parish and town councils in restructuring decisions at local government level.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Parish and town councils are not in scope for local government reorganisation and will continue to operate as they do now. As we implement our devolution and local government reorganisation programmes, we will ensure strong community involvement and deliver genuine benefits that can be seen by residents. Local stakeholders will have the opportunity to respond to government consultation on proposals.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the establishment of new unitary authorities on levels of (a) effectiveness and (b) autonomy of parish and town councils.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Parish and town councils are not in scope for local government reorganisation and will continue to operate as they do now. As we implement our devolution and local government reorganisation programmes, we will ensure strong community involvement and deliver genuine benefits that can be seen by residents. Local stakeholders will have the opportunity to respond to government consultation on proposals.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to encourage greater diversity in parish and town council membership.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The government is committed to supporting councils at all levels of local government to attract talented members who are representative of the communities they serve. We welcome the work of organisations including the National Association of Local Councils and the Society of Local Council Clerks to encourage greater diversity in parish and town council membership.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether future funding settlements for parish and town councils will account for (a) increasing service delivery responsibilities and (b) variations in local need.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The government values the contributions made by town and parish councils to the delivery of local services.
Local authorities may wish to collaborate with town and parish councils to determine how they can most effectively contribute to service delivery under future arrangements. In doing so, they should consider the financial and administrative support required by town and parish councils, as well as the potential impact of new responsibilities on local taxpayers through increases to parish precepts. Central government has no role in funding town and parish councils.
Town and parish councils are independent organisations local authorities should not rely on them as a substitute for their own meaningful community engagement and local area working. Local Government Reorganisation should facilitate better and sustained community engagement, and I welcome the steps areas are taking to consider how to maintain strong community voice.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce new funding streams for (a) parish and (b) town councils.
Answered by Jim McMahon
The government values the contributions made by town and parish councils to the delivery of local services.
Local authorities may wish to collaborate with town and parish councils to determine how they can most effectively contribute to service delivery under future arrangements. In doing so, they should consider the financial and administrative support required by town and parish councils, as well as the potential impact of new responsibilities on local taxpayers through increases to parish precepts. Central government has no role in funding town and parish councils.
Town and parish councils are independent organisations local authorities should not rely on them as a substitute for their own meaningful community engagement and local area working. Local Government Reorganisation should facilitate better and sustained community engagement, and I welcome the steps areas are taking to consider how to maintain strong community voice.