§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much in grants the Government is proposing to allocate to each local authority. [88336]
§ Mr. LeslieThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced details of the allocation to individual authorities of the £43.9 billion of Revenue Support Grant, Business Rates and Principal Formula Police Grant in 2003–04 on Thursday 5 December. Details were also announced on the same day of most of the grants for specific Personal Social Service's initiatives as set out in the Department of Health letter to local authority social services' departments (LASSL(2002)11). In addition local education authorities have received information on allocations for most of the Standards Fund in the circular "The Standards Fund 2003–04", and the Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB) circular "HB/CTB S8/2002" provided councils with their 2003–04 allocations for HB/CTB Administration Subsidy. Local authorities will also already have received their indicative Neighbourhood Renewal Fund allocations for 2003–04. Departments will be announcing remaining grants as soon as possible.
955W
§ Mr. TruswellTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what use his Department and its agencies make of postcode areas for(a) the collection and publication of data, (b) devising formulae for the distribution of grants and awards and (c) the delivery of services; and when usages were last reviewed. [87769]
§ Mr. LeslieI will write to my hon. Friend as soon as the necessary information is collated.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the proposed floors and ceilings in the new funding system for local government will be removed. [88335]
§ Mr. LeslieAs my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford) made clear in his statement to the House on 5 December 2002,Official Report, column 1079, we expect floors and ceilings to be part of the system indefinitely.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the level of council tax rates in each authority. [88337]
§ Mr. LeslieCouncil tax levels in each authority in England are already published. Figures for each financial year since its introduction in 1993–94 are available from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at www.local.dtlr.gov.uk/finance/ct.htm.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each local authority has spent below its SSA in the current financial year. [88338]
§ Mr. RaynsfordI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 18 December 2002,Official Report.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact which the new local government funding system will have on each authority's council tax levels. [88339]
§ Mr. LeslieDecisions on council tax are for local authorities to take, after consulting with their local electorate and taxpayers.
§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister by how much each local authority will be over and under funded if his Department's new proposed funding changes for local government are introduced. [88340]
§ Mr. LeslieThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister no longer takes the view that a grant distribution formula can represent Government's view on what councils need to spend. The proposed new formula grant distribution system aims to reflect the relative cost of service provision. This year, for the first time, The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will also ensure that all authorities receive a grant increase of more than inflation. Since both formula spending shares and floors and ceilings are simply parts of the system which distributes a fixed pot of grant, all authorities will receive their correct share.
Mr. Michael FosterTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) in the local government finance proposed settlement for 2003–04, for what reason Worcestershire is combined with Herefordshire in the assessment of area cost adjustment; [88445]
956W(2) under the proposed local government finance settlement for 2003–04 on what basis he calculated that Dudley receive area cost adjustment. [88446]
§ Mr. LeslieThe area cost adjustment has been calculated on pre-1995 county boundaries and pre-1986 metropolitan county boundaries (though counties bordering London are divided into fringe and non-fringe areas). This means that all unitary authorities (including Herefordshire) and all metropolitan districts (including Dudley) receive the same area cost adjustment as the county or metropolitan county of which they were formerly a part. Not only does this help to reduce complexity, but it ensures that the area cost adjustment calculations are robust and stable from year to year. This is because New Earnings Survey sample sizes for individual unitary and metropolitan district authorities are relatively small.
§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to include an element of resource equalisation in local government settlements from 2004–05 onwards. [88790]
§ Mr. LeslieResource equalisation has been an element of the local government grant distribution system since the mid-1970's. It will remain so for the foreseeable future.