Quality Parish and Town Councils

HL Deb 06 November 2001 vol 628 c14WA

Baroness Gale

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans it has for publishing draft guidance on quality parishes, as promised in the Rural White Paper. [HL1176]

Lord Whitty

The department will be publishing a consultation paper on quality parish and town councils tomorrow, Wednesday 7 November. This takes forward the committment in the Rural White Paper to help town and parish councils to develop a new role, give communities the opportunity to help shape their future and to make local government in the countryside more responsive to local people and local needs. Copies will be placed in the Library in the morning. The consultation paper will be available on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Website(www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/ consult/consultfrm.htm) and from the department on request.