§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with the National Association of Local Councils on the subject of developing partnerships; and whether this includes new funding arrangements. [20906]
§ Dr. WhiteheadMy Department works closely with the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) on a number of issues including: best value, quality parishes, accounting and audit regulations and a national training strategy for town and parish councils.
Discussions have covered financial assistance for NALC, such as the recent research project on the development of Performance Indicators for town and parish councils.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with the National Association of Local Councils on the question of restoring a share of the uniform business rate to(a) parish and (b) town councils. [20905]
§ Dr. WhiteheadWe have had no discussions with the National Association of Local Councils on this issue. Parish and town councils have never had a share of the revenue from the national non-domestic rate—or uniform business rate—since its introduction in 1990. Their main source of funding is the council tax.