What enforcement could be initiated by Government on local Authorities to ensure they comply?

Question

The implementation of Best Practices for instance (where required)  identified will be reviewed in 2020.

Answer 1

Which Local authorities are you referring to?  Town/Parish Councils or Principal Authorities like Unitary Councils district Councils etc?

Even if the "Local Government Ethical Standards Committee" recommendations for Parish/Town Councils were implemented the government have resisted making changes to allow complaints about Town & Parish Councils to be handled by the Local Gov Ombudsman (LGO), and the "Local Government Ethical Standards Committee" recommendations don't call on them to  make the change either.  The big change is that the Monitoring Officer could suspend a Councillor from serving for an appropriate time period if the recommendations were implemented, but that is different to a Government body forcing Councils to comply.

.Currently a Principal Authority can be directed by the Local Gov Ombudsman (LGO)  to implement corrective action if they receive  complaint but there is no government enforcer to take action if the LGO are ignored.  And the proposals don't change that either.

It seems to me that the answer is none, 

Comments

Thanks. I am referring to a Town Council with precept +£600K. The Principal Authority (and Monitoring Officer)  is the District Council. (there are over 50 Parishes within the District Council domain). Relations between the Town and District can be fractious at times. One key element  obviously the independence of the Monitoring Office from the political parties. If our Council meeting comes up with a sensible response tonight I will keep this forum informed.