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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what requirements there are for local authorities to measure small business access to local authority procurement.

There is no requirement on local authorities to measure small business access to local authority procurement. As independent contracting authorities, local authorities are responsible for taking their own procurement decisions. While authorities are subject to the requirements of legislation and should have regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness, I would strongly encourage councils to consider how the can use their procurement activity to support the local economy and small businesses.