It is well over a year since the Government imposed commissioners on Rotherham following the child sexual exploitation scandal, and nearly 18 months since they were sent to Tower Hamlets as a result of allegations of corruption.

In our new inquiry, the Communities and Local Government Committee will be examining the actions taken by commissioners and councillors in both boroughs to get their houses in order.

It is a serious matter when powers are taken from communities’ directly-elected representatives and handed to officials accountable to Whitehall. Returning proper, effective democratic control to these parts of East London and South Yorkshire is of the utmost importance.

While our new inquiry will examine the effectiveness of the Government interventions in Tower Hamlets and Rotherham councils, we will also look beyond these two boroughs.

Their failings were laid bare for all to see, but what about other local authorities across the country that may be grappling with similar circumstances?

We know from our inquiries into Rotherham in the last Parliament that this local authority may be far from alone.

We concluded then that the deficiencies in Rotherham’s scrutiny and governance arrangements could potentially be widespread and that there would certainly be other local authorities which would need to review their own arrangements.

In this inquiry we will look at how other councils and their partner organisations have responded to the situations in Rotherham and Tower Hamlets.

Our inquiry will be looking at the effectiveness of the Government’s interventions in these two cases, but the spotlight should not fall on these town halls alone.

We will also be examining the wider picture, and asking how the Department for Communities and Local Government monitors the performance and governance arrangements for local authorities? What are the criteria for intervention? How does the Government decide when and how to return powers to communities?

These are issues which matter not just to Tower Hamlets and Rotherham but to councils and communities across England and it’s important we pay close attention to how the process for intervention can be improved for cases in the future.

Clive Betts is chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee and Labour MP for Sheffield South East.