§ Liz BlackmanTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a further statement on his plans to legislate following the publication of the Local government White Paper, 'Strong Local Leadership-Quality Public Services'. [61490]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe White Paper "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services" set out a vision for local government by proposing to give councils new freedoms to respond to the needs of their local communities and establish a new partnership between central and local government to deliver high quality services. We have already made substantial progress in implementing these proposals, today we are taking a further significant step forward by publishing for consultation a draft Local Government Bill which will give effect to those measures which require new primary legislation.
The consultation period will run until 23 August. The draft Bill, together with explanatory notes and regulatory impact assessments has been published on the website for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Copies of all the consultation material have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Fire standard spending assessment £ million Authority1 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Avon 23.406 24.405 25.425 26.725 28.013 30.025 Bedfordshire and Luton 11.307 12.038 12.570 13.083 13.896 14.552 Buckinghamshire 13.407 14.192 14.845 15.201 16.362 16.992 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 13.649 14.814 15.610 16.237 16.948 17.573 Cheshire 21.037 22.250 22.710 23.211 24.548 25.331 Cleveland 20.132 21.049 21.648 22.229 23.194 24.262 Cornwall 11.268 11.958 12.441 12.831 13.620 14.071 County Durham and Darlington 13.997 14.647 15.125 15.664 16.211 16.418 Cumbria 11.472 12.128 12.667 12.824 13.335 13.879 Derbyshire 21.441 22.472 23.911 24.417 25.133 25.743 Devon 24.148 25.752 26.309 27.485 28.692 29.960 Dorset 14.387 15.100 15.872 16.378 17.049 17.638 East Sussex 17.562 18.652 19.521 20.405 21.646 22.503 Essex 35.109 36.834 38.299 39.465 42.306 43.821 Gloucestershire 10.821 11.155 11.621 12.125 12.283 12.813 Greater Manchester 73.155 77.032 78.833 81.320 84.681 86.602 Hampshire 33.126 35.320 36.637 38.329 40.381 42.486 Hereford and Worcester 12.828 13.339 14.411 14.915 15.257 16.004 Hertfordshire 22.015 23.206 23.679 25.747 26.760 27.827 Humberside 24.033 24.629 25.759 26.516 27.463 28.070 Isle of Wight 3.118 3.395 3.586 3.784 3.968 4.148 Isles of Scilly 0.289 0.297 0.310 0.321 0.337 0.355 Kent and Medway Towns 33.180 35.364 36.557 38.282 40.619 42.299 Lancashire 35.903 37.389 38.785 40.076 41.137 43.295 Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland 19.342 20.168 20.709 21.383 22.288 23.069 Lincolnshire 11.202 11.706 12.097 12.472 13.012 13.812 London 248.164 260.636 270.513 282.240 302.402 319.085 Merseyside 48.400 50.167 51.829 52.549 53.886 54.810 Norfolk 14.856 15.365 16.177 16.739 17.205 18.003 North Yorkshire 14.322 15.299 16.221 16.747 17.664 18.991 Northamptonshire 11.854 12.554 13.083 13.283 14.114 14.628 Northumberland 7.785 8.062 8.506 8.756 9.218 9.456