Parish Councils: Cost Effectiveness

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the recent changes to criteria for value for money audits of town and parish councils; and whether such changes were introduced on the initiative of (a) his Department and (b) the Audit Commission. (323359)

We have made no assessment of these changes, which have been introduced by the Audit Commission, and which will apply only to those town and parish councils with an annual spend exceeding £1 million.