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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the consultation Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England which opened on 18 December 2024, what is their estimated budget for a new standards appeal body.

The consultation to which the Noble Lord refers, which closed on 26 February, sought views from across the local government sector on the appropriateness of creating a national body to consider appeals, alongside a range of other proposed measures to strengthen the local government standards framework.

We are now in the process of analysing those responses to ensure we are taking full account of sector views on all of the measures proposed. The government Response will be issued in due course. After its release, we will continue to work actively with local government on developing detailed implementation plans and, as appropriate, determine the budget implications of the proposals Government commits to pursuing.