HL Deb 17 June 1996 vol 573 cc13-6WA
Baroness Sharples

asked Her Majesty's Government:

If they will calculate notional amounts for local authorities which are subject to local government reorganisation on 1st April 1997.

Earl Ferrers

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment intends to calculate a notional amount for each local authority which is subject to local government reorganisation on 1st April 1997. These figures will serve as a baseline against which to make a fair comparison of an authority's proposed 1997–98 budget requirement for capping purposes.

We have made a first calculation of notional amounts for these authorities. These figures are shown in the

Disaggregation of County Council budgets 1996–97 initial notional amounts
£ million
Disaggregated County budget 1996–97 District's net budget 1996–97 Initial notional amount Notional budget including parishes Indicative SSA 1996–97
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire CC 238.2 — 238.2 238.2 226.6
Luton 121.3 24.0 145.2 145.2 145.1
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire CC 286.6 — 286.6 286.6 280.8
Milton Keynes 126.5 22.5 149.0 150.0 145.6
Derbyshire
Derbyshire CC 433.4 — 433.4 433.4 411.0
Derby City 149.4 26.0 175.4 175.4 169.6
Dorset
Dorset CC 211.7 — 211.7 211.7 206.7
Bournemouth 90.7 19.4 110.1 110.1 116.0
Poole 76.8 11.6 88.4 88.4 88.0
Durham
Durham CC 322.0 — 322.0 322.0 316.8
Darlington 61.5 11.6 73.1 73.1 70.3
East Sussex
East Sussex CC 296.2 — 296.2 296.2 283.2
Brighton and Hove 146.1 35.9 182.1 182.1 187.6
Hampshire
Hampshire CC 678.2 — 678.2 678.2 664.2
Portsmouth 111.9 25.4 137.3 137.3 145.9
Southampton 130.7 26.9 157.6 157.6 161.5
Leicestershire
Leicestershire CC 343.2 — 343.2 343.2 327.8
Leicester City 204.3 55.2 259.5 259.5 255.5
Rutland 20.7 2.9 23.6 23.8 21.0

table below along with our estimate of what each reorganised authority's 1996–97 standard spending assessment would have been on the basis of their revised boundaries and functions.

The aim of our notional amounts calculation is to disaggregate the 1996–97 budget requirements of reorganised county councils so as to reflect the actual pattern of spending between their continuing areas and the areas of the new unitary councils. We are consulting authorities on those figures and we hope that local information will enable us to improve the calculations so as better to reflect the actual pattern of spending. We will generally be willing to accept locally agreed budget splits put to me by both the relinquishing county and the new unitaries in its area.

Authorities have until the end of August to comment. We shall consult further on our proposed notional amounts, incorporating any changes which we may make as a result of this initial consultation, as part of the local government finance settlement for 1997–98 later this year. Final notional amounts will be included in a report under Section 55 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 which will be subject to approval by the House of Commons.

Disaggregation of County Council budgets 1996–97 initial notional amounts
£ million
Disaggregated County budget 1996–97 District's net budget 1996–97 Initial notional amount Notional budget including parishes Indicative SSA 1996–97
Staffordshire
Staffordshire CC 461.2 — 461.2 461.2 459.3
Stoke on Trent 152.1 28.6 180.7 180.7 177.3
Wiltshire
Wiltshire CC 231.8 — 231.8 231.8 228.5
Thamesdown 98.4 17.5 115.8 116.5 115.3