HC Deb 25 April 1990 vol 171 cc244-9W
12. Mr. Loyden

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will next meet representatives of local government to discuss the poll tax.

61. Mr. Patchett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will next meet representatives of local government to discuss the poll tax.

70. Ms. Gordon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will next meet representatives of local government to discuss the poll tax.

Mr. Chris Patten

There is no meeting fixed at present.

16. Mr. Robert G. Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the five boroughs in inner London with the highest overspend in terms of £ sterling per head over standard spending assessment.

Mr. David Hunt

The five inner London boroughs whose 1990–91 budgets represent the highest overspends in pounds per head of relevant population compared with their standard spending assessments are:

  • Greenwich
  • Lambeth
  • Hammersmith
  • Southwark
  • Tower Hamlets

26. Mr. Nellist

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received opposing the poll tax since 1 April; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Hunt

I continue to receive representations on a wide range of issues including the level of charge which some authorities have chosen to set.

27. Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 local authorities in England with the highest community charge.

Mr. David Hunt

The list is as follows:

£
Haringey 573
Lambeth 548
Camden 534

£
Hackney 499
Islington 499
Brent 498
Bristol 490
Oxford 489
Basildon 478
Derby 458

Mr. Livsey

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received from young people about the community charge.

Mr. Chris Patten

I continue to receive representations from both young and old people on a wide range of issues related to the community charge.

30. Mr. Colin Shepherd

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on the operation by local authorities of the standard charge in respect of empty properties.

Mr. Chope

I continue to receive representations on a wide range of issues related to the standard community charge including the use that local authorities make of their discretion to levy no charge or a lower charge in respect of certain types of empty property.

32. Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the expected receipts from the uniform business rate in Cornwall for 1990–91; and what contribution is to be made from the uniform business rate to Cornwall.

Mr. Chope

The provisional amount which local authorities in Cornwall are to pay into the national non-domestic rating pool in 1990–91 is £50,105,153.

The amount of redistributed business rates which will be paid to authorities in Cornwall for 1990–91 is £102,492,371. This money is paid in support of parish, district and county council services in the area and is nearly £293 per adult.

35. Mr. David Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has as to the number of sports clubs and facilities that will benefit in real terms from lower rate bills as a result of the introduction of the uniform business rate and the non-domestic revaluation.

Mr. Chope

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 March 1990 to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Mr. Amess) and the hon. Member for Glasgow, Rutherglen (Mr. McAvoy) at column483.

36. Mr. Jacques Arnold

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received in favour of a tax on capital values in place of the community charge.

Mr. Chope

I am not aware of any representations in favour of capital value rates.

41. Miss Widdecombe

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many recent representations he has received in favour of a local income tax in place of the community charge.

Mr. Chope

We continue to receive many representations on all aspects of the community charge; however, only a relatively small number suggest that the community charge should be replaced by a system of local income tax.

48. Mr. French

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about the standard community charge on empty properties.

Mr. Chope

I have received and continue to receive many representations on all aspects of the standard community charge.

49. Mr. Marland

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about hardship caused by his decision not to make 1 April the starting date for empty property being liable for the community charge; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

While I have received a large number of representations about empty properties and the standard community charge, I have received very few about this particular aspect.

50. Mr. Geraint Howells

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received from private tenants about the community charge and levels of rents.

Mr. Chope

I have received and continue to receive representations on a wide range of issues related to the community charge including from private tenants. My Department has recently produced a leaflet giving advice to people in rented accommodation on their rights following the abolition of domestic rates.

55. Mr. Cummings

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his plans to review standard spending assessments for 1991–92.

83. Mr. Cousins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his plans to review standard spending assessments for 1991–92.

100. Mr. Steinberg

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his plans to review standard spending assessments for 1991–92.

Mr. Chope

My right hon. Friend has made it clear both in the House on 18 January, and on many subsequent occasions, that any fresh evidence in support of a new methodology for calculating standard spending assessments will be considered with a view to making changes if that should prove necessary. Officials have already begun discussions with local authority representatives with a view to establishing a programme of work for examining any such fresh evidence.

65. Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for further changes to the poll tax system in 1990–91.

75. Mr. Rees

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for further changes to the poll tax system in 1990–91.

84. Mr. Stott

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for further changes to the poll tax system in 1990–91.

Mr. Chope

None.

78. Mr. Wall

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received concerning the community charge.

Mr. Chope

I have received and continue to receive a large number of representations on a wide range of issues concerning the community charge.

89. Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the Basildon area on his charge-capping decision.

Mr. Chope

None so far.

90. Mr. Hind

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many Labour-controlled local authorities in England and Wales have planned to increase their expenditure above the rate of inflation in 1990–91; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

Information showing the increase in demands and precepts over corresponding figures of income from rates and grant in 1989–90 for each local authority in England has today been placed in the Library of the House.

92. Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received from hoteliers and guest house proprietors about the uniform business rate.

Mr. Chope

My right hon. Friend has received a number of recent representations from hoteliers and guest house proprietors on this matter.

93. Mr. David Shaw

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 local authorities with the highest levels of uncollected council house rents.

Mr. Chope

The 10 local authorities with the highest arrears as a percentage of their rent roll at the end of 1988–89 were as follows:

Rent arrears (£000s) Arrears as a percentage of rent roll
Brent 113,713 49.0
Lambeth 17,492 35.7
Southwark 126,820 35.5
Hackney 12,357 30.3
Islington 13,081 28.9
Ealing 5,651 26.2
Liverpool 15,292 26.2
Haringey 7,200 25.6
Waltham Forest 4,365 20.6
Newham 5,373 16.0
1 DOE estimate of rent arrears.

103. Mr. Dykes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent representations he has received against the proposals for community charge capping.

Mr. Chope

The Department has received a number of letters against capping since my right hon. Friend's statement to the House on 3 April.

Sir Peter Emery

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in real and percentage terms, the actual community charge for each local authority with the assumed community charge made by Her Majesty's Government on 11 January.

64. Mr. Butler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 London boroughs with the highest overspend in terms of £ sterling per head over standard spending assessment.

72. Mr. Janman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the top 10 local authorities in England with the highest overspending in terms of £ sterling per head over standard spending assessment.

91. Mr. Burns

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 county councils with the highest overspend in terms of £ sterling over standard spending assessment.

94. Mr. Jessel

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 London boroughs with the highest community charge.

97. Mr. Tracey

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the five boroughs in inner London with the highest community charge.

98. Mr. Hayward

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the top 10 local authorities in England with the highest percentage overspend over standard spending assessment.

Mr. Chris Patten

I am arranging for a summary of information relating to the demands, precepts and community charges set for each authority to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Mr. Fearn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the alterations that he recently considered making to the community charge.

Mr. Chope

We continue to keep all aspects of local government finance policy under review.

Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will amend the relevant poll tax regulations to ensure that wardens of retirement people's homes living residentially during the week, but in their own homes at weekends, do not have to pay two lots of poll tax bills.

Mr. Chope

Individuals are subject to the personal community charge for the area where they have their main residence and cannot be subject to more than one personal charge. Individuals with a freehold or leasehold interest in a second residence may be subject to a standard charge only if that residence is not used as the main residence of another person. It is possible that wardens of retirement homes could be liable to a standard charge but where the nature of their employment and household circumstances causes this, the local authority has a discretion to set the multiplier at a zero or low multiplier.

Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what guidelines have been given to local councils on the charging of standard poll tax to those payers in the process of selling their second homes:

(2) if he will amend poll tax guidelines to local councils so as to ensure that those currently selling off property but living elsewhere are not subject to poll tax for the property which is in the process of being sold.

Mr. Chope

We have prescribed in the Community Charge (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1989 that no standard charge is payable in respect of unoccupied property which is substantially unfurnished and has been so for less than three months. This would include properties which are in the process of being sold. There was a similar arrangement under the domestic rating system. Local authorities have discretion to extend the period of relief or to set a multiplier different from the one generally applied. My Department has written to local authorities explaining the scope and exercise of this discretion.

Mr. Favell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the percentage in expenditure for which Stockport metropolitan borough council is budgeting this year; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Chope

[holding answer 23 April 1990]: Information comparing the demands of individual local authorities with corresponding information for 1989–90 has been placed in the Library of the House.