§ Mr. ChurchillTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his decisions on final caps for the authorities which he has designated for capping; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HowardI have laid before the House a draft order, under section 104 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, setting out my decisions on the final caps for the eight authorities which have challenged my proposed caps and put forward higher alternatives. For the two authorities—Langbaurgh and Middlesbrough—which accepted the caps I originally proposed for them I have confirmed their caps at the level originally proposed.
For each of the challenging authorities, I have considered all the available relevant information, including the case made to me by those authorities in support of a higher cap, before taking my decisions. For Cheltenham, Gloucester, Greenwich, Hillingdon and Lambeth I have decided to confirm the caps which I initially proposed.
In the case of the other three authorities I consider that some relaxation would be justified. I have decided to increase Basildon's cap by £1.95 million, Gloucestershire's by £2.59 million and Warwickshire's by £4 million. The caps that I have now decided are, in my view, reasonable, appropriate and achievable in all the circumstances of the authorities concerned.
The caps for each of the designated authorities and the resulting reductions in charges are as follows:
Authority Final Cap £million Reduction in charge £ Basildon 22.10 41 Cheltenham 9.91 12 Gloucester 10.15 3 Gloucestershire 320.50 18 Greenwich 220.04 56 Hillingdon 166.27 5 Langbaurgh 16.50 18 Lambeth 328.79 23 Middlesbrough 20.20 14 Warwickshire 296.99 8