Local government

Review of statutory duties placed on local government

Local authorities are bound by statute. Their functions are set out in numerous Acts of Parliament and many of these functions have associated legal duties. At no point in recent history has there been a comprehensive list of legal duties placed on local authorities. The Government therefore agreed with the Local Government Association that we should compile a list of these duties to give clarity about what these are.

On 30 June 2011, a summary of the responses and the latest revised list of duties were published by DCLG. This exercise provided a clearer picture of the requirements on local authorities, and created a valuable record that was not previously available. (See 'Related downloads' below).

The review has now closed. Any future consideration of whether to remove specific duties or associated guidance will be a separate exercise, and we will consult further as appropriate. Since 2011 there may have been changes made to some of these duties as new legislation has come into force. Some departments maintain up to date lists of the duties they are responsible for on their website.

Related downloads

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