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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the level of reserves being held (a) Parish and (b) Town councils.

The Government considers reserves to be an important part of the resources available to local government, and encourages councils to consider how they can support local services while maintaining appropriate levels to support sustainability, future investment, and ability to respond to shocks.

The Government acknowledges that reserve levels have fallen recently, following a significant increase during the pandemic, and will continue to monitor the level of local authority reserves to ensure that it provides the resilience needed.