HC Deb 21 January 1993 vol 217 cc371-9W
Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment why the sparsity indicator for standard spending assessments has increased in value against the grant-related expenditure allocation position.

Mr. Robin Squire

[holding answer 18 January 1993]: The allowance for sparsity within standard spending assessments follows extensive statistical analysis and the consideration of other evidence provided by local authority representatives. It reflects the Government's current view of the additional costs of providing local services associated with population sparsity.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how the standard level of service is defined for the purpose of standard spending assessments; and how this standard is arrived at.

Mr. Robin Squire

[holding answer 19 January 1993]: The standard level of service is that which is consistent with the Government's view of the appropriate total amount of revenue expenditure for all local authorities —that is, "total standard spending". This figure takes into account the various pressures on local authority services, any changes in local authority functions or new burdens, and the potential for improved efficiency in service delivery. It also reflects the Government's view of what taxpayers, both locally and nationally, can afford.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what economies of scale are identified within the standard spending assessment formulae.

Mr. Robin Squire

[holding answer 19 January 1993]: Standard spending assessments take account of a wide range of indicators of the physical, demographic, and social characteristics of local authorities. We have no evidence that expenditure needs are affected by the size of an authority in itself, over and above the extent to which size is already reflected in the existing indicators such as population.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account is taken of the distribution of low-paid groups, other than recipients of income support, in calculating standard spending assessments.

Mr. Robin Squire

[holding answer 19 January 1993]: There is no explicit reference within the calculation of standard spending assessments to the distribution of low-paid groups, other than through indicators based on income support claimants. However, the use of the children's and all ages social indices within the calculation of the personal social services and all other services elements of the standard spending assessment reflects the fact that the costs of providing some services are higher in areas with poorer social conditions relative to those with above average social conditions.

Mr. Nigel Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each county, London and metropolitan borough the standard spending assessment per person for the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr. Robin Squire

A table containing the information requested has been placed in the Library. This also includes a column showing standard spending assessments per head for 1992–93 adjusted for changes in function which are consistent with those figures shown in the table placed in the Library in response to a question from the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw),fficial Report,1 December 1992, column 155.

Mr. Straw

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list(a) those authorities which have made representations about his local government finance proposals for 1993–94 (i) in writing and (ii) by way of a delegation to Ministers, (b) a summary of the points made by each authority, (c) the duration of each meeting and (d) any ministerial responses to the representations, including any promised changes in relevant notional amounts.

Mr. Howard

[holding answer 20 January 1993]: The tables list authorities which have made representations to myself and other Ministers in my Department on my proposals for the local government finance settlement generally and specifically on my proposals for relevant notional amounts.

I intend to present the settlement reports embodying my decisions to the House shortly. A summary of points made by each authority can only be prepared at disproportionate cost. Records are not made of the duration of meetings. As regards notional amounts, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Evans) on 12 November 1992, at columns 962–63. Table A—local authorities in England from which representations were received on the proposed local government finance settlement for 1993–94 by the Secretary of State for the Environment in writing between 26 November 1992 and 18 January 1993 other than those specifically on the subject of notional amounts.

All purpose Isles of Scilly

Single purpose authorities

  • Merseyside Fire
  • West MidlandsFire
  • South Yorkshire Fire
  • West Yorkshire Fire
  • West Yorkshire Police
  • West Mercia Police

London

  • Barnet
  • Brent
  • Bromley
  • Camden
  • Croydon
  • Ealing
  • Enfield
  • Greenwich
  • Hackney
  • Hammersmith and Fulham
  • Haringey
  • Harrow
  • Havering
  • Hillingdon
  • Hounslow
  • Islington
  • Kingston upon Thames
  • Lambeth
  • Merton
  • Newham
  • Redbridge
  • Richamond upon Thames
  • Southwark
  • Tower Hamlets
  • Wandsworth
  • Westminster

Metropolitan Districts

  • Barnsley
  • Birmingham City
  • Bradford City
  • Bury
  • Calderdale
  • Coventry City
  • Dudley
  • Gateshead
  • Kirklees
  • Leeds City
  • Liverpool City
  • Manchester City
  • North Tyneside
  • Oldham
  • Rochdale
  • St. Helens
  • Sandwell
  • Sefton
  • Sheffield City
  • Solihull
  • South Tyneside
  • Stockport
  • Sunderland
  • Wakefield City
  • Walsall
  • Wolverhampton

Shire Counties

  • Avon
  • Berkshire
  • Buckinghamshire
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Cheshire
  • Cleveland
  • Cornwall
  • Derbyshire
  • 374
  • Devon
  • Dorset
  • Durham
  • Gloucestershire
  • Hampshire
  • Hereford
  • Hertfordshire
  • Humberside
  • Isle of Wight
  • Kent
  • Lancashire
  • Leicestershire
  • Lincolnshire
  • Norfolk
  • Northumberland
  • North Yorkshire
  • Nottinghamshire
  • Oxfordshire
  • Shropshire
  • Somerset
  • Staffordshire
  • Suffolk
  • Surrey
  • Warwickshire
  • West Sussex

Shire districts

  • Adur
  • Alnwick
  • Ashfield
  • Basildon
  • Bath City
  • Beverley
  • Blackburn
  • Blackpool
  • Blyth Valley
  • Bolsover
  • Bournemouth
  • Braintree
  • Brighton
  • Bristol City
  • Broadland
  • Burnley
  • Cambridge City
  • Caradon
  • Castle Morpeth
  • Castle Point
  • Chelmsford
  • Cheltenham
  • Chester City
  • Chesterfield
  • Chiltern
  • Chorley
  • Christchurch
  • Colchester
  • Congleton
  • Copeland
  • Crawley
  • Dacorum
  • Darlington
  • Daventry
  • Derby City
  • Eastbourne
  • East Devon
  • East Dorset
  • East Hertfordshire
  • Eastleigh
  • East Lindsey
  • East Yorkshire
  • Ellesmere Port and Neston
  • Epsom and Ewell
  • Fylde
  • Gedling
  • Glanford
  • Great Grimsby
  • Great Yarmouth
  • Halton
  • Hambleton
  • Harborough
  • Harlow
  • 375
  • Harrogate
  • Hartlepool
  • Havant
  • Hertsmere
  • Hinckley & Bosworth
  • Holderness
  • Hove
  • Hyndburn
  • Ipswich
  • Kettering
  • Kingston-upon-Hull
  • Kingswood
  • Lancaster
  • Leicester City
  • Lewes
  • Luton
  • Macclesfield
  • Malvern Hills
  • Mansfield
  • Mid Bedfordshire
  • Mid Suffolk
  • Mid Sussex
  • Milton Keynes
  • Newark & Sherwood
  • Northampton
  • Northavon
  • North Cornwall
  • North Hertfordshire
  • North Kesteven
  • North Shropshire
  • North Warwickshire
  • Norwich City
  • Nottingham City
  • Nuneaton & Bedworth
  • Oswestry
  • Oxford City
  • Pendle
  • Penwith
  • Plymouth City
  • Poole
  • Portsmouth City
  • Purbeck
  • Reading
  • Ribble Valley
  • Rochester-upon-Medway City
  • Rochford
  • Rossendale
  • Rother
  • Rugby
  • Rushcliffe
  • Ryedale
  • Salisbury
  • Selby
  • Shepway
  • Shrewsbury and Atcham
  • Slough
  • Southampton
  • South Derbyshire
  • Southend-upon Sea
  • South Lakeland
  • South Norfolk
  • South Northamptonshire
  • South Ribble
  • South Staffordshire
  • South Wight
  • Stafford
  • Stoke-on-Trent
  • Stratford-on-Avon
  • Suffolk Coastal
  • Surrey Heath
  • Teignbridge
  • Tendring
  • Thamesdown
  • Thanet
  • Three Rivers
  • Tonbridge & Mailing
  • Uttlesford
  • Wansdyke
  • Warrington
  • Watford
  • 376
  • Wear Valley
  • Welwyn Hatfield
  • West Lancashire
  • West Lindsey
  • West Wiltshire
  • Weymouth & Portland
  • Windsor & Maidenhead
  • Wokingham
  • Woodspring
  • Worcester City
  • Wrekin
  • Wyre
  • Wyre Forest
  • York City

Table B—local authorities in England from which representations were received by the Secretary of State for the Environment specifically on relevant notional amounts for the local government finance settlement for 1993–94 in writing between 26 November 1992 and 18 January 1993

Inner London

  • City of London
  • Camden
  • Greenwich
  • Hackney
  • Hammersmith and Fulham
  • Lambeth
  • Lewisham
  • Southwark (late)
  • Tower Hamlets
  • Wandsworth

Outer London

  • Barking and Dagenham
  • Barnet
  • Brent
  • Bromley
  • Enfield
  • Haringey
  • Harrow
  • Havering
  • Hillingdon
  • Merton
  • Newham
  • Richmond

Metropolitan districts

  • Bury
  • Manchester
  • Oldham
  • Rochdale
  • Salford
  • Stockport
  • Tameside
  • Wigan
  • Sefton
  • St. Helens
  • Barnsley
  • Doncaster
  • Sheffield
  • Gateshead
  • Sunderland
  • Birmingham
  • Coventry
  • Sandwell
  • Walsall
  • Calderdale
  • Leeds
  • Wakefield

Police authorities Northumbria

Shire districts

  • Allerdale
  • Ashfield
  • Ashford
  • Blackpool
  • Blyth Valley
  • Bolsover
  • Boothferry
  • Braintree
  • 377
  • Bridgnorth
  • Broxtowe
  • Canterbury
  • Carlisle
  • Castle Point
  • Castle Morpeth
  • Cherwell
  • Chester-le-Street
  • Chesterfield
  • Chiltern
  • Christchurch
  • Colchester
  • Crawley
  • Dacorum
  • Dartford
  • Daventry
  • East Hampshire
  • East Lindsey
  • East Devon
  • East Hertfordshire
  • Eastleigh
  • Ellesmere Port
  • Fenland
  • Forest Heath
  • Fylde
  • Gosport
  • Harborough
  • Harlow
  • Harrogate
  • Hastings
  • Kettering
  • Kingston-upon-Hill
  • Lancaster
  • Leicester
  • Leominster
  • Maidstone
  • Malvern Hills
  • Mansfield
  • Middlesbrough
  • North East Derbyshire
  • North Shropshire
  • North Warwickshire
  • New Forest
  • Northampton
  • Norwich
  • Penwith
  • Rochester-upon-Medway
  • Rother
  • Rushcliffe
  • Ryedale
  • Salisbury
  • Scarborough
  • Sevenoaks
  • South Somerset
  • St. Albans
  • Stafford
  • Tendring
  • Thurrock
  • Tonbridge and Mailing
  • Uttlesford
  • West Lindsey
  • Warwick
  • Watford
  • Waveney
  • Wealden
  • Weymouth
  • Worthing
  • Wychavon
  • Wyre
  • Wyre Forest

Counties

  • Avon
  • Buckinghamshire
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Cheshire
  • Cleveland
  • Cornwall
  • Cumbria
  • Derbyshire
  • 378
  • Devon
  • DorsetDurham
  • Gloucestershire
  • Hampshire
  • Hereford and Worcester
  • Hertfordshire
  • Humberside
  • Isle of Wight
  • Kent
  • Lancashire
  • Lincolnshire
  • Northamptonshire
  • Northumberland
  • North Yorkshire
  • Nottinghamshire
  • Oxfordshire
  • Shropshire
  • Somerset
  • Staffordshire
  • Suffolk
  • Warwickshire
  • West Sussex

Table C—Local authorities in England from which representations were made on the proposed local government finance settlement for 1993–94 in person to the Secretary of State for the Environment and his Ministers.

London Boroughs

  • Barnet
  • Brent
  • Camden
  • Enfield
  • Greenwich
  • Hackney
  • Haringey
  • Harrow
  • Havering
  • Hillingdon
  • Kingston-upon-Thames
  • Lambeth
  • Lewisham
  • Merton
  • Newham
  • Richmond-upon-Thames
  • Sutton

Metropolitan Districts

  • Barnsley
  • Birmingham
  • Bury
  • Coventry
  • Manchester
  • North
  • Tyneside
  • Salford
  • St. Helens
  • Sandwell
  • Sheffield
  • Solihull
  • Wigan
  • Liverpool city council

Single Purpose Authorities

  • Merseyside Fire and Civil Defence
  • South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence
  • West Midlands Fire and Civil Defence
  • West Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence
  • West Yorkshire Police

Shire counties

  • Avon
  • Berkshire
  • Cambridgeshire
  • Cleveland
  • Cornwall
  • Devon
  • Dorset
  • Derbyshire
  • Gloucestershire
  • Hertfordshire
  • Isle of Wight
  • Lancashire
  • 379
  • Lincolnshire
  • Northumberland
  • Nottinghamshire
  • Shropshire
  • Staffordshire
  • Surrey
  • West Sussex

Shire Districts

  • Adur
  • Blyth Valley
  • Bournemouth
  • Braintree
  • Copeland
  • Darlington
  • Derby
  • Eastbourne
  • East Cambridgeshire
  • East Dorset
  • Harborough
  • Harlow
  • Havant
  • Lancaster
  • Lewes
  • Luton
  • Malvern Hills
  • Middlesbrough
  • Milton Keynes
  • Northampton
  • North Cornwall
  • North Kesteven
  • Nottingham
  • Oswestry
  • Pendle
  • Portsmouth
  • Ryedale
  • South Wight
  • Stoke-on-Trent
  • Tendring
  • Wansbeck
  • Welwyn Hatfield
  • Wrekin
  • Glanford

All Purpose Authority Scilly Isles

Mr. Straw

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the requirement of section 67(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 for an authority to hold a full council meeting in order to calculate its tax base used in the section 33 calculation of the basic amount of council tax; how many authorities have been obliged to hold special council meetings for this purpose; and what plans he has to seek a change in the requirement.

Mr. Howard

[holding answer 20 January 1993]: We have received several representations on this matter. We do not have information on each authority's arrangements for council meetings, which are matters for the authorities concerned. We have no plans to change the requirements for calculating tax bases.