§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning the expected levels of council tax in 1997–98. [19213]
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesLocal authorities in Wales are required to notify my Department of the level of council tax set for 1997–98 by 17 March 1997. The available provisional information is given in the following table. I shall write to the hon. Member when final figures are available and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
299W
Average band D Council taxes—1997–98 Unitary authority Average band D payable1 £ Blaenau Gwent — Bridgend 539 Caerphilly —
Average band D Council taxes—1997–98 Unitary authority Average band D payable1 £ Cardiff 486 Ceredigion 562 Conwy 403 Denbighshire — Flintshire 511 Gwynedd 515 Isle of Anglesey 424 Merthyr Tydfil 569 Monmouthshire 403 Neath Port Talbot 619 Newport 413 Pembrokeshire 451 Powys — Rhondda, Cynon, Taff — Swansea 478 Torfaen 483 The Vale of Glamorgan — Wrexham — 1 After damping, including amounts for police, community councils, discretionary non-domestic rate relief.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on local authority capital expenditure plans for the year 1997–98. [19508]
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesI refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's statement on 12 December 1996 on public expenditure in Wales for 1997–98,Official Report, columns 405–19.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to increase the percentage of capital sales receipts available to local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [19503]
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe Government currently have no plans to increase the percentage of usable capital receipts from the sale of local authority assets. Authorities have to set aside a proportion of receipts from the sale of capital assets for debt redemption. If they were allowed to spend their set-aside resources, either other areas of spending would need to be reduced to ensure that debts were paid off or public spending as a whole would rise.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received relating to changes to the formulae for the standard spending assessments; and if he will make a statement. [19505]
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe distribution formula for 1997–98 was ratified by the Welsh Consultative Council on Local Government Finance. A joint Welsh Office-Welsh Local Government Association review of the formula is under way for 1998–99. Recommendations for change will be considered by the consultative council in the autumn.