Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanism is in place for members of the public to raise complaints about the operation of town and parish councils; and to which body such complaints should be directed.

There are various mechanisms in place for members of the public to make complaints about their town or parish council.

These include: using the parish council’s complaints procedure;raising the matter at the annual parish meeting; questioning, or making an objection to, the auditor during the public inspection period of accounts; or by joining with a group of local electors to call for a parish poll on the issue. In instances of councillor misconduct, complaints can be made to the principal council’s monitoring officer who can investigate.

Central Government does not have the power to intervene in parish council matters and believes that the current local system of redress is proportionate to the sector and consistent with this Government's principles on localism.