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.

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.