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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Award Schemes

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the award schemes in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002 promoted by the Department; what their scope was; when the relevant participating organisations are scheduled to be sent results; and whether other parties will be given notification of the results at the same time. [102050]

Mr. Leslie: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. Since then, the Office has promoted the following awards:

The Beacon Council Scheme to identify excellence in local government and enable best practice to be shared with others. Ministers award beacon status annually on the basis of a rigorous assessment and recommendations from an independent Advisory Panel. Participating authorities are informed approximately one week before the results are made public. The Beacon authorities are generally announced in April each year and all local authorities in England, and a range of other interested parties, are notified of the results at this time.

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The Green Flag Award Scheme recognises parks and green spaces that are managed and maintained to a high standard. The Green Pennant is awarded for good standards in green spaces that are managed by community and voluntary groups. Both awards are made annually. Participants are notified in confidence in the summer to allow for preparation of the announcements at the awards ceremonies in November.


The Award for Urban Renaissance for urban regeneration initiatives in England with a record of success was launched in 2002. The finalists were advised prior to the Urban Summit and the overall winner was announced at the Summit on 31 October 2002. A press notice was issued, the outcome was reported by live webcast on the Urban Summit website and brochures were distributed. The award has been renamed the Deputy Prime Minister's Award for Sustainable Communities with the intention that it will be an annual award. The scope of the award has been extended to align with "Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future" and the broader aim of the Office.


The award for Outstanding Achievement in Social Housing at the Chartered Institute of Housing's National Housing Awards. The award celebrates excellence in the provision and delivery of social housing in the United Kingdom. The criteria is that the winning award should be innovative, inspirational, provide real benefits to customers and can be easily duplicated. All award winners are announced at the awards ceremony in the autumn.


The award for Social Housing Provider of the Year. Building Magazine's Building Homes Quality Awards are designed to recognise and reward house building organisations from both the public and private sectors, focussing attention on the very best examples of construction and customer care best practice. All award winners are announced at the awards ceremony in the autumn.


The Association for Geographic Information Annual Central Government Award for best use of geographic information. The awards are presented at the annual Association for Geographic Information (AGI) Annual General Meeting and Awards dinner which was held last year on 14 November 2002. The request for nominations is made in advance to members of the AGI and the Intra Governmental Group on Geographic Information (IGGI). The unsuccessful nominees are informed after the awards dinner and details are posted on the AGI website.

Council Elections

Mr. Stephen Byers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in which years no elections have been held in (a) London councils, (b) shire counties, (c) shire districts, (d) metropolitan councils and (e) new unitary authorities in the last decade. [103362]

Mr. Leslie: Whole council elections are held every four years in all county councils in England, borough councils in London and about two-thirds of non-metropolitan district councils, including some unitary authorities. In the last decade these elections were held in 1994, 1998 and 2002 for London boroughs; in 1993, 1997 and 2001 for shire counties; and in 1995, 1999 and on 1 May 2003 for district councils.

The remaining third of non-metropolitan district councils, including some unitary authorities and all the metropolitan district councils have elections of one third of their councillors in each of the three years when county council elections are not held.

By-elections can take place at any time in all categories of councils; no information is held centrally about the holding of by-elections.

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Council Tax

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) central and (b) local government of administering council tax in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [102871]

Mr. Leslie: The cost to local authorities of collecting the council tax in England is estimated to be £319 million for the year 2002–03. The main cost to central Government is incurred by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) which administers the council tax valuation list and is a party to appeals. The VOA budget for council tax work in 2002–03 is about £14 million. Central Government also supports the costs of the independent Valuation Tribunals which hear appeals. The part of the Valuation Tribunals budget for 2002–03 relating to council tax work is approximately £0.7 million. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for the policy and legislation rather than the administration of council tax.

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Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the total level of council tax raised in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03 in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [102875]

Mr. Leslie: The total level of council tax collected by local authorities in England in respect of 2001–02 during 2001–02 was £12.8 billion. This figure represents 96.1 per cent. of the £13.4 billion collectable.

The figures for level of council tax collected in England in 2002–03 are not yet available.

Figures for Wales and Scotland are the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Parliament respectively.

Council tax does not exist in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Byers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what has been (a) the average Council tax increase and (b) the level of local government settlement in each of the last 10 years in (i) inner London councils, (ii) outer London councils, (iii) shire counties, (iv) shire districts, (v) metropolitan councils and (vi) new unitary authorities. [103363]

Mr. Leslie: The information available is tabled below:

		Percentage increase in authority's own Band D council tax for:							Percentage increase in council tax for standard spendinga
	Inner London boroughs and City	Outer London boroughs	Shire counties	Shire districts	Metropolitan districts	Shire unitary authoritiesb	England	England
1994–95c	12.2	5.1	6.3	7.4	0.9		2.1
1995–96c,d	38.4	31.8		2.3	5.5		5.0
1996–97d	11.7	5.1	4.1	6.7	6.5		6.1
1997–98	0.4	6.7	6.5	8.3	7.0	2.1	6.5	4.2
1998–99	0.3	6.0	11.9	7.0	7.6	7.8	8.6	7.0
1999–2000	2.8	7.9	8.3	5.1	5.1	5.6	6.8	4.8
2000–01	1.7	6.2	6.7	5.4	4.5	5.7	6.1	4.6
2001–02	6.6	6.2	6.3	6.3	5.3	6.1	6.4	5.1
2002–03	3.0	5.4	9.3	9.3	4.6	8.2	8.3	5.2
2003–04	e	e	e	e	e	e	e	3.7

⁽²⁴⁾ This is the increase in council tax assumed in the calculation of revenue support grant, calculated on a like-for-like basis. It does not represent an estimate of the level at which local authorities need to set their council tax. The Government does not estimate the level of council tax increases. Figures are not readily available by class of authority, or for England before 1997–98. Under the new formula grant system, the figure for 2003–04 is for the increase in assumed national council tax over the equivalent figure for 2002–03.

b Shire unitary authorities did not exist in 1994–95 and 1995–96, other than the Isle of Wight in 1995–96, which may not be representative of the current class as a whole.

c A major cause of the large changes in London between 1994–95 and 1995–96 was the large reduction between the two years in the amounts of council tax transitional reduction scheme grant paid to some London boroughs.

d Like-for-like comparisons for shire counties in 1995–96 and for unitary authorities in 1996–97 are not available due to local government reorganisation. This is also true to a more limited extent for shire counties, districts and unitaries between 1995–96 and 1998–99, for which figures are generally given.

e not yet available.

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