Written question asked by Rosie Cooper (Labour) on Friday, 18 July 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 22 July 2008. It was answered by Parmjit Dhanda (Labour) on Tuesday, 22 July 2008 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Local Government: Public Participation

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to encourage local authorities to exercise powers providing for public participation in council meetings; and what recent discussions she has had with (a) local authorities and (b) others on the issue.

Answer: The recently issued White Paper ““Communities in Control: Real people, real power”” announced our intention to establish a new duty to promote democracy which will require local authorities to inform and encourage local people to participate in democratic activities.This duty was proposed by the Councillors Commission which engaged widely with local government and other stakeholders in developing the report it published in December 2007, and the White Paper took into account responses to the Commission's report.

Secondary information