Local government: Democratic accountability, citizen participation and electoral reform

The House of Lords is due to debate democratic accountability, citizen participation and electoral reform in local government. This briefing examines local government in England, including government plans for further devolution, arrangements for local audit and scrutiny, and how citizens participate in local decision-making. It also considers voting systems for council and mayoral elections and proposals for electoral reform.

Local government: Democratic accountability, citizen participation and electoral reform

Sovereign Grant Bill: HL Bill 54 of 2026–27

The Sovereign Grant Bill is a government bill which would amend how the sovereign grant is set. This is a grant paid to the King to support the work of the sovereign. The bill would enable the size of the sovereign grant to be reduced following the completion of a 10-year works project on Buckingham Palace. The bill received cross-party support and was not amended in the House of Commons.

Sovereign Grant Bill: HL Bill 54 of 2026–27

Empty homes in England and Wales

Stakeholders have argued that each empty home removes a property from the housing market at a time of unaffordable rents, rising homelessness, record levels of temporary accommodation use and long waits for social housing. A group of industry stakeholders have called on the government to produce a national empty homes strategy aimed at bringing such properties back into use.

Empty homes in England and Wales

  • In Focus

    Civil service impartiality

    The idea of civil service impartiality, defined as the ability to serve the government of the day without fear or favour, is one of the core values promoted by the civil service code. The cabinet secretary, Dame Antonia Romeo, has recently announced plans to update the code but at the same time reiterated that impartiality remains integral to the work of the civil service.

  • Research Briefing

    Representation of the People Bill: HL Bill 47 of 2026–27

    The bill is a government bill that would make a range of changes to the legal framework concerning elections, including extending the franchise for UK parliamentary elections and other reserved elections to 16- and 17-year-olds. The bill was amended during both its committee and report stages in the House of Commons, with many of the government’s later amendments implementing recommendations from the Rycroft review on countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics.

  • In Focus

    Private members’ bills in the House of Lords

    Members of the House of Lords who are not ministers can introduce private members’ bills. With limited time available, they rarely become law without government, and usually cross-party, support. This briefing provides a profile of private members’ bills in the Lords including examples of the types of private members’ bills introduced and commentary on the reasons why a member might table a private member’s bill.

  • In Focus

    House of Lords Retirement and Participation Committee: Report and proposals

    The House of Lords Retirement and Participation Committee was tasked with looking at options for introducing a retirement age and a participation requirement for members of the House of Lords, following commitments in Labour’s general election manifesto. The committee proposed a maximum retirement age of 80 be phased in over five years from July 2029. It also said members should be required to attend at least 20% of sitting days averaged over two parliamentary sessions.

  • Research Briefing

    Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (Restoration of Powers and Responsibilities) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 20 of 2026–27

    The bill would make the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) primarily responsible for certain youth justice functions, provide a formal role for the Welsh government in some youth justice decisions, and restrict the UK government’s ability to alter the YJB’s functions through secondary legislation.

  • In Focus

    Improving social mobility: Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee report

    Social mobility can broadly be defined as the link between the socio-economic circumstances someone grew up in and their own outcomes as adults. Numerous factors affect social mobility, including ethnicity, gender and regional inequality. The House of Lords Social Mobility Policy Committee published a report in November 2025 considering how education and work opportunities could be better integrated to improve social mobility in the UK.

  • In Focus

    Government’s political and legislative agenda

    Andy Burnham became UK prime minister on 20 July 2026. Since then, the government has made a series of policy announcements and has provided an indication of its political priorities, particularly regarding the devolution of powers to local areas. This briefing summarises those announcements ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on the government’s political and legislative plans.

  • In Focus

    Skills and post 16 education policy: Reducing barriers and supporting regional growth

    Research has suggested workforce skills and qualifications are linked to employment rates, earnings and economic productivity, with disadvantaged groups more likely to have poorer educational and labour market outcomes. Official statistics also show that disadvantaged pupils are at greater risk of not sustaining a destination in education, apprenticeships or employment. This briefing outlines government policies on skills, apprenticeships, further and higher education and regional devolution aimed at improving opportunities and supporting economic growth.

  • In Focus

    Parliamentary sessions: Years without a King’s Speech

    A speech by the sovereign at the start of a parliamentary session usually takes place every year. However, there have been seven years since 1900 without a speech. Most can be ascribed to the preceding session being longer than average. The most recent year without a King’s Speech was 2025, resulting from the Starmer government’s decision to extend the session beginning in July 2024 until April 2026.

  • In Focus

    Forced labour in UK supply chains: Joint Committee on Human Rights report

    In July 2025, the Joint Committee on Human Rights published a report contending that goods which are produced or part-produced with forced labour are being sold to consumers in the UK. It also argued that the UK had fallen behind comparable countries in its approach to tackling forced labour. The committee called for new legislation to address the issue. The government responded that it was “actively exploring options to strengthen protections”.

  • In Focus

    Ending ministerial by-elections: Lords debate 1926

    The recent King’s Speech confirmed plans to lower the voting age to 16. A century earlier, Parliament examined proposals for a very different constitutional change: ending ministerial by-elections. Introduced in the 18th century as a safeguard against crown influence, ministerial by-elections were later viewed by some as outdated. For others, they were an important democratic safeguard. This briefing examines the Lords second reading debate on the bill that abolished the by-elections.

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