Council leaders have expressed concern over proposals to make the Publicity Code law under the Local Audit Bill.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned the councils have not been consulted properly on the code as the consultation ran for less than four weeks and during the local elections.

Sir Merrick Cockell, chairman of the LGA, said: 'This announcement confirms what councils feared all along, the consultation on whether the Publicity Code should be made law was flawed both in its central premise and how it was carried out.