Your shout: Parish and town council accountability

Town and parish councils are a key part of the rural community life, influencing planning decisions and funding for their communities. They can play a key role in support farming enterprises.

The government is consulting on whether local communities should be able to complain to the local government ombudsman if they feel that they have been let down by their town council or larger parish council.

The aim is to ensure better quality and value for money services for the tier of government nearest to the people - view the consultation on the Gov.UK site here.

The government don’t believe it would be practical to look at all 9,000 councils but wonder whether the largest council’s in terms of numbers and budgets need to be subject to the same scrutiny as local government.

The NFU would welcome your comments and experiences by 15 June, please email U3V6YW5uZS5jbGVhckBuZnUub3JnLnVr.