§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will receive deputations from local authorities in England to discuss this year's provisional local authority grant settlement. [14617]
§ Ms ArmstrongI am keen to ensure that we hear the views of those authorities that have constructive points to make on the settlement, whether in writing, face to face or otherwise. I am currently looking into the possibility280W of using local video-conferencing facilities to meet with local authorities. This could save some local authority delegations from having to incur the expense and time that would be involved in travelling to London.