§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the regional bodies which have the power to precept on local authority council taxpayers, indicating 85W (a) which have a national power and (b) where they have specifically local powers; and to which areas they apply. [102172]
§ Mr. LeslieThere are no bodies that can issue precepts on local authority council taxpayers nationwide.
County councils issue precepts which are met by council taxpayers in those counties. The Greater London Authority has power to issue a precept which is met by council taxpayers in Greater London.
All English Police Authorities (except the Metropolitan Police Authority) and Metropolitan County Fire and Civil Defence Authorities have powers to issue precepts which are met by taxpayers in the districts within their areas.
There are also a large number of bodies which have the power to issue levies or special levies to local authorities within their areas. The most important are:
The Environment Agency (which levies county, metropolitan district and London borough councils and the Common Council of the City of London, if any part of their areas is comprised in a local flood defence district);Passenger Transport Authorities which levy district councils in the former metropolitan counties;Waste Authorities which levy councils in parts of Greater London, Merseyside and Greater Manchester;The London Pensions Fund Authority which levies London borough councils and the Common Council of the City of London;National Park Authorities, which levy county and district councils, the whole or part of whose areas fall within a National Park;The Broads Authority, which levies district and county councils in Norfolk and Suffolk;
86W
Statutory homeless households In accommodation arranged by local authorities under homeless legislation—31 December 2002 All homeless households Homeless households with dependent children Households on the Housing Register 1 April 2002 Number accepted as eligible, homeless and in priority need September to December 2002 All types of temporary accommodation Bed and breakfast accommodation only All types of temporary accommodation Bed and breakfast accommodation only Barking and Dagenham 2,668 159 736 72 67 45 Barnet 7,030 1— 1— 1— 1— 1— Bexley 3,487 123 230 31 150 22 Brent 14,746 253 3,498 498 3,119 341 Bromley 3,592 208 516 196 1— 117 Camden 8,147 327 1,901 218 1,267 85 City of London 623 11 32 11 24 3 Croydon 6,890 260 3,263 432 2,521 241 Ealing 8,289 259 1,979 651 1— 516 Enfield 7,264 233 2,483 179 2,223 83 Greenwich 6,876 263 268 0 1— 1— Hackney 8,930 296 2,285 193 1— 1— Hammersmith and Fulham 6,044 219 1,600 610 1,198 307 Haringey 12,585 1— 1— 1— 1— 1— Harrow 3,992 93 1,624 51 1,386 20 Havering 1,888 49 314 0 221 0 Hillingdon 6,041 153 1,845 451 1,352 209 Hounslow 6,369 156 1,086 319 1— 111 Islington 8,161 355 1,364 94 895 25 Kensington and Chelsea 8,294 94 968 280 1— 1— Kingston upon Thames 3,971 96 715 9 39 0 Lambeth 14,228 434 2,021 543 1,285 193 Lewisham 15,368 193 1,243 0 1— 0
The Lea Valley Regional Park Authority which levies London borough councils, Essex and Hertfordshire county councils, Thurrock council and the Common Council of the City of London;Internal Drainage Boards which can issue special levies to billing authorities, all or part of whose areas fall within the internal drainage districts for which the Boards are responsible (which are such areas within the areas of the regional flood defence committees as will derive benefit, or avoid danger, as a result of drainage operations).
§ Ms AthertonTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proposals he has to create lower council tax bands for residents of park homes. [104436]
§ Mr. LeslieThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware of the concerns about the current width of band A from people who live in lower value dwellings like park homes. We have announced we will have a council tax revaluation in England in 2007 based on 1 April 2005 values and ahead of that we will listen to the views of local government and taxpayers about council tax bands. We will decide on any changes to the banding structure nearer to the time of the revaluation.
§ Jeremy CorbynTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many families are(a) in housing need, (b) in bed and breakfast hotels and (c) homeless, broken down by London borough. [103369]
§ Mr. McNultyLocal authorities in England report the numbers of households on their waiting lists (excluding tenants awaiting a transfer) as at 1 April in their Annual Housing Investment Programme returns. Their activities under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002) are reported on their quarterly P1 (E) housing returns to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The latest reported information is given in the following table:
87W
Statutory homeless households In accommodation arranged by local authorities under homeless legislation—31 December 2002 All homeless households Homeless households with dependent children Households on the Housing Register 1 April 2002 Number accepted as eligible, homeless and in priority need September to December 2002 All types of temporary accommodation Bed and breakfast accommodation only All types of temporary accommodation Bed and breakfast accommodation only Merton 4,361 43 175 53 128 15 Newham 13,942 328 3,814 811 1— 1— Redbridge 5,671 166 1,837 258 175 175 Richmond upon Thames 3,763 94 525 38 32 15 Southwark 6,164 1— 1— 1— 1— 1— Sutton 1,653 93 428 77 335 32 Tower Hamlets 7,837 1— 1— 1— 1— 1— Waltham Forest 10,283 246 1,032 39 790 12 Wandsworth 3,923 262 1,442 456 964 150 Westminster 3,709 264 2,623 759 1— 151 1 Not reported. Note:
Local authorities have different practices far compiling and managing housing register/waiting lists, which means that direct comparisons between authorities can be misleading.
Sources:
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Housing Investment Programme (HIP) annual returns.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister P1(E) housing activity returns (quarterly).