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Written question asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour) on Thursday, 12 July 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 26 July 2018. It was answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative) on Tuesday, 24 July 2018 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Monitoring Officers

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to strengthen the role of monitoring officers in local authorities.

Answer

The Government has no plans to change the role of monitoring officers in local authorities.

The role of the monitoring officer is to ensure that the council operates within the law. Monitoring officers have a specific duty to:

  • Report on matters they believe are, or may be, illegal or amount to maladministration;

  • Investigate concerns about the conduct of councillors and officers; and

  • Oversee the operation, review and updating of the constitution, including to provide advice on the interpretation of the constitution, and make determinations where necessary.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL9495
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Local government Standards Monitoring officers
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk