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18 Nov 2003 : Column 806W—continued

Overcrowded Housing

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the 2001 Census estimate of the percentage of children who live in overcrowded housing; and if he will make a statement. [139268]

18 Nov 2003 : Column 807W

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware of the Census results relating to occupancy, including the relatively high percentage of children who live in "overcrowded" housing. These results, alongside those from the Survey of English Housing, are being taken into account of in our on-going work on this topic.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what obligations a local housing authority has to a household deemed to be statutorily overcrowded. [139269]

Keith Hill: Under section 167 of the Housing Act 1996, a local housing authority is required to have an allocation scheme for determining priorities in the allocation of housing accommodation. That scheme must ensure that reasonable preference is given to:

"people occupying insanitary or overcrowded housing or otherwise living in unsatisfactory housing conditions".

Where a person applies to a local housing authority as homeless, the authority must decide whether or not he is homeless under section 175 of the Housing Act 1996. In reaching their decision, the local housing authority must not treat the applicant as having accommodation (if he does) unless it is accommodation which it would be reasonable for him to continue to occupy. Where statutory overcrowding exists, it will be a relevant consideration in reaching this decision, but under section 177(2) the local housing authority may also have regard to the general circumstances prevailing in relation to housing in the district.

Parks and Green Spaces

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to protect and develop parks and green spaces, with particular reference to (a) Sunderland and (b) Redcar and Cleveland. [139423]

Keith Hill: Sunderland and Redcar and Cleveland will benefit from our support for local authorities to protect and develop parks and green spaces, which are essential to sustainable communities.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects local authorities to undertake a robust assessment of needs and opportunities and develop a strategic approach to protect and provide their parks and green spaces.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister supports authorities with free advice, delivered through Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) Space, to develop a strategic approach to parks and green spaces where they do not already have one.

We will continue to develop and promote better practice in civic spaces.

18 Nov 2003 : Column 808W

Regional Co-ordination Unit

Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent employees were employed in the Regional Co-ordination Unit (a) when it was first established and (b) in July. [138132]

Yvette Cooper: 47 full time equivalent staff were employed by the Regional Co-ordination Unit (RCU) when it was first set up in summer 2000 to implement the conclusions of the Performance and Innovation Unit's "Reaching Out" report. Since then the unit has expanded, taking on new roles including business co-ordination and knowledge management, while the network of sponsors has increased from three to 10. In July 2003 there were 65 full-time equivalent employees.

Regulatory Reform Act

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what arrangements he has put in place to assess the effect of orders under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 on local authorities' activities in (a) the issuing of grants and loans for home repair, improvement and adaptation, (b) aiding people to buy new properties, (c) issuing of disabled facilities grants and (d) the creation of renewal areas; [139347]

(2) how many times local authorities have given financial assistance for home repair, improvement and adaptation (a) in each of the last 10 years and (b) since 18 July 2002, broken down by local authority; and how much was spent in each case; [139348]

(3) how many times local authorities assisted people in buying new properties since 18 July 2002, where the authority judged moving to be more appropriate than adapting an existing home; [139350]

(4) how many times local authorities assisted people in buying new properties where existing homes were subject to compulsory or voluntary purchase for renewal or clearance in each of the last 10 years. [139351]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is working in collaboration with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Welsh Assembly Government by jointly commissioning research to monitor the development and implementation of new strategies by local authorities and to identify good practice for broader dissemination. This follows the coming into force on 18 July 2002 of the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 (RRO 2002), which gave local authorities wider powers to provide assistance to private homeowners for repair and renovation. This research work is on-going until October 2004. An initial progress report was published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister at the beginning of November showing that, by March 2003, four-fifths of authorities were in the process of planning and developing loan/grant packages, the majority of which include outside expertise and support. Progress in implementing these strategies will be assessed through the research and from statistical information provided by local authorities.

18 Nov 2003 : Column 809W

A table showing the number of grants and amount spent on private sector housing renewal and on disabled facilities by each local authority in England over the last six years has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Separately, data are being collected for 2002–03 and subsequent years on local authority expenditure in England using the new RRO 2002 power. This will show the amount spent on grants and loans by each authority split by type of recipient (elderly on benefit, non-elderly on benefit, disabled) and by geographical area including the amount spent in renewal areas. These data are still being analysed and will not be published until early 2004.

18 Nov 2003 : Column 810W

Information is not collected separately on local authority expenditure designed to assist people to move to another dwelling, either for adaptation or because the existing home is subject to compulsory or voluntary purchase for renewal or clearance.

Revenue Support Grant

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was (a) raised in council tax and (b) contributed in revenue support grant in (i) each authority within and (ii) the county areas of (A) Tyne and Wear, (B) Durham and (C) Northumberland in each year since 2000–01; and what estimate he has made in respect of 2003–04. [139095]

Mr. Raynsford: The information requested is in the following table.

		Council tax requirement (£000)
	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Tyne and Wear(15)
Gateshead	48,874	51,368	55,313	61,748
Newcastle upon Tyne	66,196	69,413	74,497	82,248
North Tyneside	51,101	54,176	58,548	63,683
South Tyneside	36,408	37,962	41,001	44,056
Sunderland	59,281	63,208	68,444	73,604
Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority	14,311	15,657	16,928	18,449
Durham
Durham County Council	99,035	103,761	120,146	131,755
Chester-le-Street	2,041	2,175	2,368	2,623
Derwentside	4,793	5,144	5,899	6,103
Durham City	3,567	3,804	4,304	4,449
Easington	6,279	6,583	7,037	7,220
Sedgefield	6,623	6,991	7,647	7,924
Teesdale	1,224	1,300	1,453	1,549
Wear Valley	2,925	3,056	3,366	3,392
Durham police authority(16)	9,129	9,855	11,374	14,140
Darlington unitary authority(16)	20,863	23,767	27,278	29,436
Northumberland(15)
Northumberland County Council	76,380	81,896	88,322	100,664
Alnwick	1,587	1,703	1,818	1,925
Berwick-upon-Tweed	1,215	1,275	1,341	1,481
Blyth Valley	2,897	3,100	3,427	3,446
Castle Morpeth	2,767	2,952	3,360	3,745
Tynedale	3,013	3,178	3,450	3,781
Wansbeck	2,398	2,609	2,715	2,745
Northumbria Police Authority(15)	21,218	22,872	24,062	26,561

⁽¹⁵⁾ Northumbria Police Authority covers both Tyne and Wear and Northumberland County Council areas.

⁽¹⁶⁾ Durham Police Authority covers Darlington UA and Durham County Council.

Revenue support grant (RSG) figures cannot be considered in isolation in this context, because the amounts payable depend upon the amounts of redistributed national non-domestic rates (NNDR) that an authority receives. Both RSG and NNDR are therefore included in the following table. Grant figures are not consistent between years because of changes in function.

£000

	2000–01			2001–02
	RSG	NNDR	Total	RSG	NNDR	Total
Tyne and Wear(17)
Gateshead	92,657	55,370	148,027	97,851	53,836	151,687
Newcastle upon Tyne	132,208	76,848	209,056	139,539	74,215	213,754
North Tyneside	77,075	54,012	131,087	83,013	52,519	135,532
South Tyneside	76,875	43,028	119,903	81,201	41,716	122,917
Sunderland	137,515	81,373	218,888	145,032	79,005	224,037
Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority	21,415	10,728	32,143	22,994	10,488	33,482
Durham
Durham	163,867	126,543	290,410	173,761	123,386	297,147
Chester-le-Street	1,395	2,177	3,572	1,609	2,163	3,772
Derwentside	2,913	3,360	6,273	3,141	3,277	6,418
Durham City	2,736	3,438	6,174	3,031	3,430	6,461
Easington	4,979	3,559	8,538	5,359	3,484	8,843
Sedgefleld	3,447	3,400	6,847	3,795	3,359	7,154
Teesdale	800	952	1,752	876	949	1,825
Wear Valley	2,870	2,398	5,268	3,183	2,344	5,527
Durham Police Authority(18)	18,383	14,069	32,452	19,871	13,937	33,808
Darlington Unitary Authority(18)	34,230	29,209	63,439	36,742	28,268	65,010
Northumberland(17)
Northumberland	98,217	77,383	175,600	105,934	75,597	181,531
Alnwick	1,181	1,194	2,375	1,334	1,201	2,535
Berwick-upon-Tweed	1,177	1,010	2,187	1,290	994	2,284
Blyth Valley	2,955	3,073	6,028	3,238	3,010	6,248
Castle Morpeth	890	1,912	2,802	1,050	1,904	2,954
Tynedale	1,451	2,238	3,689	1,577	2,211	3,788
Wansbeck	2,883	2,365	5,248	3,143	2,325	5,468
Northumbria Police Authority(17)	54,115	32,999	87,114	58,067	32,586	90,653

18 Nov 2003 : Column 811W

		2002–03				2003–04
	RSG	NNDR	Total	RSG	NNDR	Total
Tyne and Wear(17)
Gateshead	93,325	58,472	151,797	106,154	55,971	162,125
Newcastle upon Tyne	132,377	80,340	212,717	155,069	75,993	231,062
North Tyneside	78,904	57,643	136,547	92,071	56,212	148,284
South Tyneside	80,687	45,358	126,045	92,330	44,731	137,060
Sunderland	142,289	85,984	228,273	165,563	82,211	247,774
Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority	22,627	11,707	34,334	25,134	10,925	36,059
Durham
Durham	165,556	134,413	299,969	200,732	132,318	333,050
Chester-le-Street	1,433	2,427	3,860	2,363	1,873	4,235
Derwentside	2,902	3,665	6,567	4,196	2,972	7,168
Durham City	2,785	3,869	6,654	3,913	3,064	6,976
Easington	5,184	3,870	9,054	6,635	3,279	9,913
Sedgefleld	3,566	3,754	7,320	4,693	3,043	7,736
Teesdale	831	1,081	1,912	1,245	853	2,099
Wear Valley	3,049	2,607	5,656	3,875	2,141	6,016
Durham Police Authority(18)	18,679	15,111	33,790	26,327	8,444	34,770
Darlington Unitary Authority(18)	35,678	30,950	66,628	44,640	29,650	74,290
Northumberland(17)
Northumberland	93,484	82,433	175,917	109,565	82,387	191,953
Alnwick	1,263	1,333	2,596	1,544	1,085	2,628
Berwick-upon-Tweed	1,333	1,105	2,437	1,549	906	2,455
Blyth Valley	3,024	3,393	6,416	4,177	2,838	7,015
Castle Morpeth	881	2,141	3,023	1,360	1,710	3,069
Tynedale	1,461	2,481	3,942	2,263	2,054	4,317
Wansbeck	3,002	2,593	5,596	3,954	2,133	6,086
Northumbria Police Authority	55,804	35,218	91,022	71,038	19,751	90,789

⁽¹⁷⁾ Northumbria Police Authority covers the areas of both Tyne and Wear and Northumberland County Council.

⁽¹⁸⁾ Durham Police Authority covers the areas of both Darlington Unitary Authority and Durham County Council.

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