Lord Bownessasked Her Majesty's Government:
At what stage are their plans to abandon the capping of council tax; and
What reserve powers they envisage being retained by the Secretary of State for the Environment after 60WA the abandonment of council tax capping, and in what circumstances those powers would be exercised.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Baroness Hayman)We remain committed to the abolition of crude and universal capping. We are now working on a wide range of proposals to improve local accountability which will allow us to fulfil this commitment. In the meantime the Deputy Prime Minister intends to announce guideline budget increases for local authorities later this year. If necessary we will use our capping powers to ensure that local authorities stay within these guidelines.