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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to make parish and town councils aware of the general power of competence in the Localism Act 2011.

We are proud of our parish and town councils and the role they play in transforming public services. Any parish or town council can take steps to become eligible to use the general power of competence. When the general power of competence was commenced in February 2012 the Government produced guidance on using the power to hold prayers as part of the formal business at council meetings and wrote to the Society of Local Council Clerks. In July 2013, the Secretary of State addressed the Local Government Association/National Association of Local Councils conference on the general power of competence, encouraging all councils to use the power innovatively without looking to Whitehall for permission.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/general-power-of-competence-speech

We have worked with the National Association of Local Councils to update the mandatory training module required for clerks to be qualified, as part of eligibility criteria for parish councils to be able to use the general power of competence.