Local Government: Meetings
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the statutory guidance, Appointing mayoral commissioners and setting/reporting allowances, updated 9 June 2026, paragraph 81, what guidance his Department has provided or plans to provide to local authorities on how a reasonable excuse for (a) refusing to attend a meeting, (b) refusing to provide information and (c) refusing to answer questions should be determined.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
In regulations, we intend to create a power for Local Scrutiny Committees to impose a civil penalty in certain circumstances. This can be where; a person fails to attend a meeting, a person fails to answer a question at a meeting; a person fails to provide a committee with information or a document, and, where a person misleads a committee.
Regulations and associated statutory guidance made under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act will set out further details including who would be in scope of such civil penalties and what may constitute a reasonable excuse. We are consulting with Mayoral Strategic Authorities and will bring forward more detail in due course.
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