§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the level of charges per property by the private sector for the purposes of council tax valuation.
§ Mr. MaudeFollowing a competitive tendering exercise, the successful tenders by the private sector produce an average price of £1.58 per domestic property for the valuation bandings for the council tax.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a list of all those organisations which have been authorised to undertake council tax valuations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MaudeAs a result of a competitive tendering exercise for the award of contracts for the valuation banding of domestic properties in England and Wales ready for the introduction of the new council tax on 1478W April 1993, 512 contracts have now been awarded to 337 private sector firms covering some 12 million properties divided between 1,052 geographical lots. The Valuation Office Agency will undertake the valuation banding of the remaining 9 million properties.
The total value of the contracts placed is £19.1 million. This represents excellent value for money for the Government and enables the work to commence on this straight away.
A list of the successful firms will be placed in the Library.