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

To ask His Majesty's Government what powers they are considering devolving to local authorities.

Local authorities are central to the Government's ambitions for economic growth, public service reform and stronger communities.

As set out in the Government's Rewiring the State Cabinet Statement (here), we are committed to shifting power from central government to local leaders and communities, including through ensuring that powers, functions and resources are exercised at the level most appropriate to achieving better outcomes for people and places.

The Government has also committed to increasing the proportion of business rates retained by local government. Further detail on our approach to devolution and the distribution of responsibilities across different levels of government will be set out in a forthcoming White Paper.