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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that council officers and councillors are held to account for significant public failings on the part of local authorities.

This Government is committed to ensuring that local government is empowered, fully accountable and deserving of people’s trust and confidence.

Councils must fulfil the Best Value Duty when delivering their responsibilities. Government uses a range of statutory and non-statutory intervention models in cases of failure or risk of failure. In cases of Commissioner-led intervention, where appropriate, this can include powers to appoint and dismiss senior staff.

The Government Response to the Strengthen the Standards and Conduct Framework consultation for Local Authorities in England published on 11 November 2025 sets out our ambition to introduce a clearer and consistently applied conduct system that will help local elected members to hold themselves and their colleagues to account in meeting the high standards and conduct their roles demand and the public have a right to expect. We intend to legislate on local government standards reforms when parliamentary time allows.

Council officers and members may also be subject to investigation by relevant bodies if suspected of serious misconduct, including the police and Serious Fraud Office.