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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to amend section 27(3) of the Localism Act 2011 to include a statutory definition of bullying and harassment covering (a) persistent verbal abuse, (b) intimidation and (c) behaviour causing significant distress.

In December 2024 the government launched a consultation seeking views on wide ranging reforms to the local government standards regime in England. The government response will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing the detailed policies for implementation.