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16 Jul 2004 : Column 1365W—continued
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Council Tax
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the Local Government Minister next plans to meet local government representatives to discuss council tax. [184031]
Mr. Raynsford: I meet local government representatives regularly to discuss local government finance matters including council tax.
Government Estate (Sustainable Development)
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the non-office sites within the departmental estate which have been identified as being likely to provide opportunities for significant water savings. [182894]
Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister initially identified the following non-office sites as being likely to provide opportunities for significant water savings:
The Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.
The Queen Elizabeth the Second Conference Centre, London.
Since the inception of the Sustainable Development in Government initiative, the Fire Service College's non-training water usage has been reduced by 28 per cent. per annum. However, due primarily to the increased business use of the QEII, water usage of the centre has risen by 13 per cent. Initiatives are planned to further reduce consumption.
Since November 2002, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has monitored Department's performance against the Framework targets in the annual Sustainable Development in Government reports (http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/reports/index. htm). The Second Annual report, published in November 2003, contains data based on the financial year April 2002 to March 2003. Copies are also available in the Library of the House.
16 Jul 2004 : Column 1366W
Housing
Mr. Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent research he has evaluated on the demand for social housing in (a) Taunton Deane and (b) the South West of England; and if he will make a statement. [184638]
Keith Hill: It is the responsibility of Taunton Deane and other housing authorities to ensure that the provision of affordable housing is made on the basis of robust local assessments of needs. A demonstrable lack of affordable housing to meet local needs is a material planning consideration, which should be taken into account in formulating development plan policies and in deciding planning applications involving housing. Government have issued guidance on how to undertake local housing needs and market assessments.
Taunton Deane borough council conducted a housing needs survey to underpin the Stock Option Appraisal which it is presently conducting in order to meet the Government's decent homes standard by 2010. Somerset local authorities are also working together to produce a countywide housing needs assessment which should provide a fuller picture of the need for social and affordable housing in Somerset.
Mr. Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of the new entrants onto the housing list in the last 12 months in (a) Taunton Deane and (b) West Somerset were registered outside (i) Somerset and (ii) counties in South West England. [184640]
Keith Hill: This information is not held centrally; and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Tony Clarke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the percentage change in housing waiting lists held by Northampton borough council was in each of the last five years. [184844]
Keith Hill: Information on the percentage change in the housing waiting lists held by Northampton borough council is tabled as follows:
| Northampton (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 30 |
| 2000 | 10 |
| 2001 | 13 |
| 2002 | -14 |
| 2003 | 16 |
Source:
ODPM's Housing Investment Programme returns
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the percentage change in housing waiting lists held by Portsmouth City Council was in each of the last five years. [184352]
Keith Hill:
Information on the percentage change in the housing waiting lists held by Portsmouth City Council is tabled as follows.
16 Jul 2004 : Column 1367W
| Portsmouth (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 12 |
| 2000 | -8 |
| 2001 | 10 |
| 2002 | -1 |
| 2003 | 15 |
Source:
ODPM's Housing Investment Programme returns
Local Government
Mr. Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will announce the results of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment for English district local authorities. [184645]
Mr. Raynsford: The Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) for district councils is being carried out on a county-by-county basis over an 18-month period and began in 2003. Results for over half of all the 238 district councils in England have been published by the Audit Commission and are available on their website at: www.audit-commission.gov.uk/cpa/ These include councils in the counties of:
Buckinghamshire
Cheshire
Cumbria
Derbyshire
Devon
Dorset
Durham
East Lancashire
East Sussex
Essex
Hampshire
Hertfordshire
Lincolnshire
Norfolk
North Yorkshire
Northamptonshire
Northumberland
Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire
Staffordshire
Surrey
West Lancashire
West Sussex
Wiltshire
Results have also been announced for the five Pathfinder councils (Ashford, Cambridge City, Canterbury, Ipswich and Wychavon). Results for district councils in Somerset are due to be published by the Audit Commission on 16 September. By December 2004, results for all 238 district councils will have been published.
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much revenue support grant was made available in the London Borough of Islington in each year since 1997; and what the projected amounts for future years are. [184727]
Mr. Raynsford: The following table shows formula grant, which is the sum of revenue support grant (RSG) and redistributed business rates (NNDR), over the period 1997–98 to 2004–05. 2004–05 is the latest .year for which formula grant is available. Formula grant is currently approved by Parliament on an annual basis; the provisional 2005–06 amounts will be announced in mid-November. There are no projections available.
It is not appropriate to compare the amounts of RSG alone year-on-year since the level of RSG is partially determined by the amount of NNDR an authority receives for that year. Also it is not appropriate to compare formula grant year-on-year without first making adjustments for changes in funding and function. The following table therefore also provides the adjusted formula grant amounts where appropriate to enable a like-for-like comparison. For convenience the change in formula grant, expressed both in £ million and as a percentage have also been provided.
| Revenue support grant (£ million) | Redistributed business rates (£ million) | Formula grant (£ million) | Change on previous year on a like-for-like basis (£ million) | Percentage change on previous year on a like-for-like basis (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 142.351349 | 38.100485 | 180.451834 | — | — |
| Adjusted 1997–98 | — | — | 184.333293 | — | — |
| 1998–99 | 141.389688 | 40.061813 | 181.451501 | -2.881792 | -1.6 |
| 1999–2000 | 143.335665 | 43.610078 | 186.945743 | 5.494242 | 3.0 |
| Adjusted 1999–2000 | — | — | 186.727705 | — | — |
| 2000–01 | 146.390405 | 49.674393 | 196.064798 | 9.337093 | 5.0 |
| Adjusted 2000–01 | — | — | 193.478402 | — | — |
| 2001–02 | 151.852882 | 47.816829 | 199.669711 | 6.191309 | 3.2 |
| Adjusted 2001–02 | — | — | 196.089862 | — | — |
| 2002–03 | 151.140641 | 52.792816 | 203.933457 | 7.843594 | 4.0 |
| Adjusted 2002–03 | — | — | 207.718810 | — | — |
| 2003–04 | 165.376743 | 51.557601 | 216.934344 | 9.215534 | 4.4 |
| Adjusted 2003–04 | — | — | 219.371955 | — | — |
| 2004–05 | 180.530617 | 50.565707 | 231.096324 | 11.724369 | 5.3 |
16 Jul 2004 : Column 1369W
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to give his response to the recommendations of the Boundary Committee on local government reorganisation in the two tier areas of the northern regions. [181792]
Mr. Raynsford: On 8 July the Government announced their decision as to the local government reorganisation options that will be put to voters in a referendum. After careful consideration, the Government are putting forward the reorganisation recommendations presented by the Boundary Committee on 25 May. The only exception is a minor modification to Option B for Cumbria and Lancashire so that the whole of Ormskirk is placed in the proposed local authority of Sefton and West Lancashire.
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