§ 6. Mr. BarnesTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness and fairness of the council tax banding system; and if he will make a statement.[145889]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Government acknowledged the criticisms of council tax in the 2001 White Paper, "Strong Local Leadership, Quality Public Services". Consequently we have established the Balance of Funding review which has been giving detailed consideration to key issues affecting the funding of local government. The review will be considering proposals for change in the course of the next few months.