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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on allowing councils to meet remotely.

We have made and laid The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 before Parliament under section 78 of the Coronavirus Act 2020.

These regulations, which came into effect on 4 April 2020, enable all local authority meetings before 7 May 2021 to be held remotely, including allowing remote access by members of the public and press by electronic means, including by telephone conference, video conference, live webcasts, and live interactive streaming.