Engaging with parliament and political parties

Our parliamentary engagement and lobbying efforts highlight the vital role of parish and town councils to parliamentarians, aiming to enhance and protect their reputation and advocate for changes to policy and legislation. We build relationships with Members of Parliament (MPs) and Peers throughout the year through meetings, Select Committees, and written and oral questions on issues impacting parish and town councils and raising the profile of parish and town councils. We maintain connections with political parties and their groups within the Local Government Association, interest groups, and think tanks.

Debates

A debate in the House of Commons or House of Lords is a formal discussion on a specific proposal. MPs or Members of the House of Lords take turns speaking. These debates are conducted according to established rules and conventions.

We provide written briefings to MPs or Peers ahead of a debate to set out our views on a subject and any calls to action, such as changes to legislation. We also work closely with our president and vice-presidents to ensure they are briefed before participating in debates. Our president, Baroness Scott of Needham Market, has made several contributions during the passage of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, the King’s Speech and debates on local government funding.

Developing relationships with other local government stakeholders

Building and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships is important to our public affairs activity. This includes engaging with key local government representative bodies which cover different tiers of local government and their councillors.

We hold regular meetings with the County Councils Network, the District Councils Network and the Local Government Association and attend their events. We also involve stakeholders in our work through representation on different boards and initiatives.

Meetings with MP, Peers and shadow ministers

A key feature of our work throughout the year is promoting the sector to MPs, their staff, members of the House of Lords, government ministers, shadow ministers and party spokespeople. Our programme of meetings allows us to highlight the positive work parish and town councils do to support their communities, raise issues and challenges they face, and press for support. We recently highlighted the need for parish and town councils to have access to direct funding, which was successful and allowed for funding to be granted to parish and town councils to protect and preserve community assets.

Party conferences

In the United Kingdom, the party conference season typically occurs over three weeks in September and October each year, during the House of Commons recess, when annual political party conferences take place.

Party conferences offer a diverse range of opportunities for engagement. We can connect with policymakers, opinion formers, and other organisations through one-to-one meetings, various events, debates, receptions, and by hosting fringe events.

Select Committees

Select Committees operate in the House of Commons and House of Lords, examining and reporting on various areas, from the activities of government departments to economic affairs. These committees inquire about specific topics, with the results made public and often necessitating a government response. Select Committees play a crucial role in the parliamentary system. They hold the government accountable, investigate issues of public concern, and influence legislation and policy through their reports and recommendations.

We commonly engage with Select Committees, such as the Committee on Standards in Public Life on civility and respect, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee on empowering parish and town councils and providing them additional funding opportunities, and the Built Environment Committee on high streets and safety at community events in towns and small cities.

Written and oral questions

MPs and Peers can submit written questions to government ministers to gather detailed information about their work, policies and activities of government departments, related bodies, and parliamentary administration. MPs or Members of the Lords submit these parliamentary questions in writing and receive a written response from the relevant ministers. Written statements are typically used to document the day-to-day business of the government officially and make it publicly accessible.

An oral question is a parliamentary question that is put to a government minister in person by an MP or member of the House of Lords in the Chamber of each House. Oral question times for ministers normally occur at the beginning of each sitting day in both houses on Mondays to Thursdays.

We work with our president, vice presidents, MPs, and Peers to ask questions about issues relevant to parish and town councils, such as legislation, audits, elections and councillor allowances.