Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of future governance arrangements for Charter Trustee areas; and whether he plans to bring forward legislation to establish parish councils in those Charter Trustees areas affected by local government reorganisation.

During local government reorganisation, Charter Trustees are a longstanding mechanism that may be established in unparished areas to preserve historical rights. They are dissolved when the Charter Trustee area becomes wholly comprised in one or more parishes. The creation of parishes is a matter for principal councils through the Community Governance Review process and the Government has no plans to change this.