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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on measures to (a) allow town and parish councils to send agendas electronically and (b) reform parish polls.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 3 April 2014, Official Report, Column 780W which explained that we are minded to make regulations to make it clear that councils (including town and parish councils) can send council papers electronically; councillors would continue to have a right to receive them in hard copy by post should they wish. As indicated in that answer, we have been undertaking an informal sounding on the Order with key partners; we now intend to make regulations before the end of the year.

Separately, we also intend to publish a consultation paper on proposals to reform parish polls, further to the enabling provisions introduced in the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014.