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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of access to independent complaints mechanisms for residents when making complaints about the administration of parish and town councils.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman provides members of the public with a vital complaints resolution service for when things go wrong with the public services they rely on. Their investigations provide the public with personal redress and improve the delivery of these services by local authorities. Most of their complaints are about key public services, such as children’s services, adult social care and homelessness.

The Government has no plans to bring town and parish councils within the Ombudsman’s scope. Parish and town councils are accountable through local complaints procedures, audit arrangements and elections.