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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to introduce legislation to establish local versions of the Public Accounts Committee.

The government remains committed to enhancing accountability and scrutiny of local public spending in Strategic Authorities.

The English Devolution White Paper outlines the government’s ambition to go further in this area, including exploring a Local Public Accounts Committee model. It remains our ambition to do this. We are developing policy options on this, working with Mayoral Combined Authorities to test our thinking. The Government will confirm its policy approach and any supporting legislation that may be required to advance these in due course.