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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of establishing an independent commission to set the rates of allowances for local councillors in England.

Local authorities are responsible for their own scheme of allowances. Each local authority must have an Independent Remuneration Panel to make recommendations about allowance levels and the decisions are rightly made locally. This ensures that allowances are reasonable, proportionate and reflect local circumstances. We think decisions should remain at the local level.