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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of measures other than the devolution of powers to enhance local democracy within Council of Europe member states; and what actions they have taken, or plan to take, to support such measures both in other Council of Europe member states and within the United Kingdom.

We and other member states have regular exchanges on democracy issues in the Council of Europe. Acting to strengthen democracy in the United Kingdom, and to support such measures in other member states, is a priority, as shown by the action of the Conservative-led Coalition Government to improve the transparency and openness of local authorities through the introduction of the Transparency Code. We have provided practical support to assist the Ukrainian Government in their decentralisation reforms, led by the visit of the former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my noble Friend Lord Ahmad, to Kiev in September 2014.