§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what factors led to the reduction in the standard spending assessment of the London borough of Southwark in 1996–97. [14957]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordSouthwark's standard spending assessment—SSA—in 1996–97 is lower than the comparable 1995–96 figure for a number of reasons: principally, the use of later data, such as those used to calculate the area cost adjustment, but also the changes made to the method of calculating the education and all other services elements of SSAs to take account of authorities' need to spend on special educational needs and rent allowances.