§ David TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure that district authorities have the flexibility to fund and deliver high quality public services to local people which the Government have called for. [31302]
§ Mr. RaynsfordI can confirm that, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush (Mr. Soley) on 18 December 2001,Official Report, column 137, we have improved the terms of the minimum grant increase for 2002–03 guaranteed to shire district councils.
We have done this by introducing an alternative baseline for 2001–02, which, in effect, adjusts only for the transfers of service for which shire districts are responsible. In order to guarantee a minimum 2.3 per cent. increase for shire districts, we will give each district whichever increase is greater: 2.3 per cent. on the original fully adjusted baseline, or 2.3 per cent. on the alternative.
454WDistricts will also benefit from the package of measures announced in the Local Government White Paper and designed to enable all councils to deliver improvements in public services. In particular, there are proposals to assist district councils to build their corporate capacity, encouragement for greater county and district collaboration, including in local PSAs, and additional freedoms which will be available to high performing districts in due course. Districts will also benefit from the deregulation proposals, the streamlining of best value and the move to a more proportionate approach to inspection.