Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance to local authorities on (a) administering scrutiny and monitoring requirements, (b) responding to freedom of information requests and (c) conducting non-essential business during the covid-19 outbreak.

The local authority remote meetings regulations made under section 78 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 have enabled local authorities to continue to conduct essential business whilst protecting the health and safety of their members, officers and the public. All local authority meetings in England are in scope of the regulations. There is no barrier to Overview and Scrutiny meetings being held remotely. It is down to the local authority to decide what is appropriate in their specific circumstances.

With regards to responding to freedom of information requests and conducting non-essential business local authority staff are subject to the current “work from home” directive in national Covid-19 guidance and local authority offices are subject to the same workplace safety Covid-19 guidance as any other employer.