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 issued guidance to local authorities on making (a) licensing, (b) planning and (c) gambling decisions during local election periods.

Local authorities are required to consider the Recommended Code of Practice for Local Authority Publicity (‘the Code’) in coming to any decision on any communication, in whatever form, addressed to the public or a section of the public. A Code principle is that publicity be issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity, such as in the pre-election period.

The pre-election period of heightened sensitivity does not prevent a local authority from carrying out routine business.