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4 Mar 2004 : Column 1118W—continued

Landfill

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs concerning the role of local authorities in meeting the requirements of the Landfill Directive. [159038]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to achieve sustainable waste management. This involves discussions, both bilaterally and collectively across Government, on a range of matters including meeting the requirements of the Landfill Directive and the role of local authorities.

Neighbourhood Warden Schemes

John Cryer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions officials at his Department have had with (a) councillors and (b) officers at the London Borough of Havering regarding the continuation of neighbourhood warden schemes; and if he will make a statement on their outcome. [157325]

Yvette Cooper: Officials from the Government Office for London met with the neighbourhood warden scheme manager and a councillor from Havering on 11 February.

4 Mar 2004 : Column 1119W

The warden scheme has yet to secure mainstream funding from the London Borough of Havering and they are still considering their options.

John Cryer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued to local authorities to assist them in mainstreaming funding for neighbourhood wardens schemes; and what the estimated cost to local authorities is of mainstreaming funding of neighbourhood warden schemes. [157326]

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has provided no direct advice to local authorities but it has provided a raft of information and advice to warden schemes themselves on how they might raise funding from mainstream funding.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's funding to neighbourhood warden schemes for 2003–04 was £4.7 million. Local authorities would need to find this level of funding if they wished to fund all warden schemes at the same level.

John Cryer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations in England (i) are and (ii) are not mainstreaming funding for neighbourhood warden schemes. [157329]

Yvette Cooper: The following table lists the areas where housing associations and local authorities are committed to sustaining their first round warden schemes after March 2004, when the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister funding for their pilot schemes ceases.

	Area	Accountable body
1.	Dacorum	LA
2.	Huntingdon	HA
3.	Norwich	LA
4.	Lincolnshire	LA
5.	Leicestershire	HA
6.	Nottingham	LA
7.	Derby	HA
8.	Liverpool (1 of 2 schemes)	LA
9.	West Lancashire	LA
10.	Longsight	LA
11.	Sale West	LA
12.	Wirral	LA
13.	Burnley	LA
14.	Manchester Longridge	HA
15.	Macclesfield	HA
16.	Knowsley	LA
17.	Breightmet and Bolton	HA
18.	Bury	Voluntary Sector
19.	Oldham	LA
20.	North Manchester	LA
21.	Bolton	HA
22.	Salford	LA
23.	Lewisham	LA
24.	Merton	LA
25.	Southwark	LA
26.	Sutton	LA
27.	Birmingham Atwood Green	LA
28.	Wolverhampton	LA
29.	Walsall	LA
30.	Stoke	HA
31.	Wyre Forest	HA
32.	Coventry	LA
33.	Leeds	LA
34.	Sheffield	LA
35.	Kirklees	LA
36.	Sheffield	Voluntary Sector
37.	Bamesley	LA
38.	Doncaster	LA
39.	Wakefield	LA
40.	Rotherham	LA
41.	Exeter	AL
42.	Portsmouth	LA
43.	Horsham	AL
44.	Milton Keynes	LA
45.	Canterbury	LA
46.	Slough	LA
47.	Guildford	LA
48.	Hastings	LA
49.	Rushmore	HA
50.	Stockton	LA
51.	Darlington	LA
52	South Tyneside	LA
53.	Middlesbrough	HA
54.	Sedgefield	LA
55.	Sunderland Plains Farm	HA
56.	North Tyneside	LA
57.	Merthyr Tydfil	LA
58.	Cardiff	LA
59.	Gwynedd	LA
60.	Caerphilly	LA
61.	Swansea	LA

4 Mar 2004 : Column 1120W

Local Authorities (LAs) in Barnet, Hillingdon, Avon and Somerset and Wigan as well as a Housing Association (HA) in Islington have decided not to sustain their wardens schemes. In two cases the wardens will be replaced by Police Community Support Officers.

13 LAs, three HAs and two voluntary schemes have not yet made a final decision about the future of the warden scheme.

Planning Advice (Showmen)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice his Department gives to local councils on the provision of planning permission for the storing of showmen's equipment and living quarters; and if he will make a statement on the need for this provision. [158581]

Keith Hill: Planning policy relating to travelling showpeople is set out in DOE Circular 22/91 'Travelling Showpeople' which gives advice to local planning authorities on how to address the needs of travelling showpeople. Emphasis is placed on local authorities engaging in early discussion with travelling showpeople before planning applications are made, and in order to ensure that their needs are taken into account in preparing their Local Plans. Local authorities are also urged to give every assistance to help showpeople identify sites to buy or rent.

Police/Fire Authorities (Funding)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the percentage increase in funding that he deems to be reasonable for (a) fire authorities and (b) police authorities in the next financial year. [158506]

Phil Hope: The 2004–05 Local Government Finance Settlement was approved by Parliament on 5 February.

4 Mar 2004 : Column 1121W

Single service fire authorities (i.e. the metropolitan fire authorities and the combined fire authorities in shire areas) plus the fire-part of the GLA received a 4.23 per cent. increase in grant on a like-for like basis with 2003–04 (i.e. after adjusting for changes in function and funding). Fire services in shire areas that have not been subject to Local Government Reorganisation are provided by the Shire County. Shire Counties also provide services such as education, social services and highway maintenance for these areas. It is not possible to identify the amount of grant such authorities receive for fire.

Police authorities excluding the City of London and the Metropolitan Police Authority plus the police-part of the GLA received a 3.26 per cent. increase in grant on a like-for-like basis with 2003–04. The City of London also provides services such as education, social services and highway maintenance. It is not possible to identify the amount of grant it receives for police.

4 Mar 2004 : Column 1122W

Port Clarence, Stockton

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much English Partnerships plans to invest in the development of Port Clarence in Stockton. [156613]

Yvette Cooper: English Partnerships and One North East are looking at options for the re-development of Port Clarence. A decision about English Partnerships' involvement has yet to be made.

Regeneration (Havering)

John Cryer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding was allocated for regeneration in the London Borough of Havering in the last six years. [157330]

Yvette Cooper: The London Borough of Havering have advised the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that the amount of funding which has been allocated to regeneration projects in the borough since 1997 is as follows:

Programme	Source	Date	Funding £ million	LBH Match Funding £ million
London Riverside—ODPM allocation from Sustainable Communities Funding	ODPM	2004–2008	8	n/a
New Horizons for Harold Hill Regeneration of deprived communities	SRB Allocation administered through LDA	1999–2004	3.8	2
London Riverside in the Heart of the Thames Gateway	SRB Allocation administered through LDA	1999–2007	(14)32.2	2.2
Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing and Engineering	DTI	2002–2004	4.3	—
London Riverside—site preparation	EU Objective 2	2001–2002	5.4	—
Romford Town Centre	SRB administered through LDA/ Groundwork	1997–2006	1	1.7

⁽¹⁴⁾ Programme covers London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Havering and Thurrock. Havering is likely to have received 60–70 per cent. of the total allocation by the end of the programme although this includes contributions to the Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing and Engineering, which is in Havering, but serves a wider area.

In addition to these allocations there have been further allocations to the borough from the LDA 2 programme and significant direct investment from the LDA in site acquisition and development.

London Borough of Havering (LBH) match funding is included specifically and related to the regeneration programmes listed. In addition the Council has allocated approximately a further £3.5 million towards regeneration activity from 1997–98 to 2003–04 to support and deliver a variety of programmes over that period.

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