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Regional Assemblies

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on the tax-raising powers that elected regional assemblies will have. [43853]

Dr. Whitehead: The forthcoming Regional Governance White Paper will set out our policy for elected regional assemblies, including their funding.

19 Mar 2002 : Column 219W

Local Government

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the future of local government in the north-west. [44045]

Dr. Whitehead: The recently published Local Government White Paper, "Strong Local Leadership, Quality Public Services", sets out the future of local government in England.

In addition, the forthcoming Regional Governance White Paper will set out how we plan to take forward our manifesto commitment that:

"provision should be made for directly elected regional government to go ahead in regions where people decided in a referendum to support it and where predominantly unitary local government is established".

Local Government Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what types of premises are zero-rated for local taxation. [43937]

Dr. Whitehead: The information is as follows:

Non-Domestic Rates

The Local Government Finance Act 1988, schedule 5, exempts the following types of non-domestic property from business rating:

Agricultural land and buildings;


Fish farms;


Places of religious worship;


Lighthouses and related property used by Trinity House;


Sewers;


Land and structures used by drainage authorities;


Public parks;


Property used for the training of the disabled, and the provision of welfare services to them;


Air raid protection works;


Swinging moorings for boats and ships, i.e. moorings which are not connected to the river bank or shore, but to the river or sea bed;


Road crossings over water courses;


Property used for road user charging schemes;


Property in enterprise zones; and


Property occupied by visiting armed forces, such as air force bases.

Under section 45 of the Local Government Finance Act, empty non-domestic properties are exempt from rates for the first three months. After that period 50 per cent. of the full rates are levied on the property, unless it falls within a prescribed type, in which case it continues to be entirely exempt from rates while unoccupied. The most significant type that remains exempt after three months is industrial property such as factories, warehouses, and mineral workings. Other types of property which remain exempt are: listed buildings; buildings with rateable values of less than £1,900; buildings which the owners are prohibited by law from occupying or which are kept vacant by the actions of a public body; and buildings whose owners are either bankrupts, or are insolvent companies which are being wound up.

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Diplomatic non-domestic property is exempt from rates by virtue of the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964. However, premises occupied by diplomatic missions and visiting armed forces pay a contribution in lieu of a proportion of the rates due on the property, to reflect the use they make of local authority services, currently 6 per cent. of the full rate liability.

Under the Local Government Finance Act 1988 various reliefs are available to ratepayers. In some cases, local authorities have discretion to give relief up to 100 per cent., so their occupiers pay no rates. In some of these cases this is a top-up on a lower level of mandatory relief. 100 per cent. relief is available, at local authority discretion, to charities, small businesses in designated rural settlements, and new small-scale farm diversification enterprises, ratepayers suffering hardship and non-profit making bodies engaged in philanthropic, cultural, sporting and other activities.

Council Tax

Certain classes of domestic property are exempt from the council tax. These are set out in the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992. They are:

Class A: Empty and substantially unfurnished dwellings where works are required, underway or recently completed (valid for up to 12 months);


Class B: Empty dwellings owned by charities (valid for up to six months);


Class C: Dwellings left empty and substantially unfurnished (valid for up to six months);


Class D: Dwellings left empty by prisoners;


Class E: Dwellings left empty by patients in hospitals and care homes;


Class F: Dwellings left empty by deceased persons;


Class G: Dwellings where occupation is prohibited by public law;


Class H: Empty clergy dwellings;


Class I: Dwellings left empty by people receiving care;


Class J: Dwellings left empty by people providing care;


Class K: Dwellings left empty by students;


Class L: Repossessed dwellings;


Class M: Student halls of residence;


Class N: Dwellings occupied only by students or school leavers;


Class O: Armed forces' accommodation;


Class P: Visiting armed forces' accommodation;


Class Q: Dwellings left empty by bankrupts;


Class R: Empty caravan pitches and boat moorings;


Class S: Dwellings occupied by minors only;


Class T: Empty annexes which cannot be let separately;


Class U: Dwellings occupied only by persons who are severely mentally impaired;


Class V: Dwellings occupied by persons with diplomatic privilege or immunity;


Class W: Annexes occupied by dependent relatives.

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the (a) actual and (b) percentage change expressed in real terms was in total external support for Westminster city council in each year from 1990–91 to 2002–03. [43504]

Dr. Whitehead: Westminster city council have reported the following total central Government support for revenue expenditure. Total figures for 2002–03 are not yet available.

19 Mar 2002 : Column 221W

Westminster city council total central Government support for revenue expenditure⁽⁷⁾

	Total (cash terms) £ million	Total at 2001–02 prices(8) £ million	Percentage change (real terms)(8)
Outturn
1990–91	158.9	217.0	—
1991–92	187.3	241.2	11.1
1992–93	224.2	279.5	15.9
1993–94	195.4	237.8	-14.9
1994–95	198.3	238.2	0.2
1995–96	202.9	237.0	-0.5
1996–97	200.2	226.6	-4.4
1997–98	208.9	229.4	1.3
1998–99	205.7	219.8	-4.2
1999–2000	214.9	224.2	2.0
2000–01	224.0	229.6	2.4
Budget
2001–02	235.6	235.6	2.6

⁽⁷⁾ This comprises of aggregate external finance (AEF). AEF is central Government support towards total standard spending. It comprises revenue support grant, redistributed non-domestic rates, and certain specific, supplementary and special grants. For Westminster city council these include SSA reduction grant (1994–95 onwards) and central support protection grant (1999–2000 onwards).

⁽⁸⁾ Real terms at 2001–02 prices calculated using the GDP deflator.

Sources:

1990–91—2000–01 revenue summary (RS) and revenue grant (RG) returns. 2001–02 general fund revenue accounts budget estimate return (RA) and RA(SG) (income from specific, special and supplementary grants).

19 Mar 2002 : Column 222W

Council Tax (Newcastle)

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many properties there are in each council tax band in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne; and how many in each band are (a) empty and (b) exempt because all residents are students. [43598]

Dr. Whitehead: The table shows the number of properties in each council tax band in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne as at 16 October 2001. Information is also provided as at 1 November 2001 on the number of dwellings that were exempt from council tax because they were halls of residence provided predominantly for the accommodation of students, and those dwellings that were exempt because they were only occupied by students or school leavers.

These types of dwellings are prescribed in legislation as falling into exemption classes M and N respectively. In addition, the table shows the number of dwellings that were classed as either empty or second homes on 1 November 2001. A split between the number of empty dwellings and second homes is not available for the city of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Information for Newcastle upon Tyne	Band A	Band B	Band C	Band D	Band E	Band F	Band G	Band H	Total
Number of dwellings on the valuation list as at 16 October 2001	73,187	17,198	16,451	7,194	3,535	1,648	1,295	114	120,622
Exemption Class M—A hall of residence provided predominantly for the accommodation of students.	375	507	138	8	1	1	0	14	1,044
Exemption Class N—A dwelling which is occupied only by students, the foreign spouses of students, or school and college leavers.	1,577	794	422	186	84	10	4	0	3,077
Total for Exemption Classes M and N	1,952	1,301	560	194	85	11	4	14	4,121
Number of dwellings classed as empty or second homes as at 1 November 2001.	2,535	481	360	207	102	70	58	19	3,832

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