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5 Jul 2005 : Column 296W—continued
Best Value
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what indicative targets the Government set for each of the 2005–06 best value performance indicators for local authorities. [9537]
Mr. Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not set indicative targets for any of the 2005–06 best value performance indicators (BVPIs) for local authorities. However, minimum performance standards have been set in respect of waste and recycling and for some planning authorities. Local authorities set their own targets for all other BVPIs.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the best value regime applies to (a) fire authorities and (b) police authorities. [9538]
Mr. Woolas: In accordance with Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1999, Fire and Rescue Authorities and Police Authorities are subject to the duty of best value.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the residents' satisfaction rating was in each council, in each year in which that indicator has been part of the Best Value regime. [9539]
Mr. Woolas: Best Value User Satisfaction Surveys were carried out in 2000–01 and 2003–04. The results of the 2000–01 survey are available on the following website: www.bvpi.gov.uk. A report which summarised the results of the 2003–04 survey was published in June 2004. Detailed results of the 2003–04 survey will be published on the above website in due course.
Compulsory Purchase Orders
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many compulsory purchase orders have been carried out in each local authority in London in each of the last five years. [8212]
Yvette Cooper: Details of which local authorities in London have used CPO powers are shown in the following tables.
| Number of CPOs: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Local authority | Confirmed | Not confirmed | Withdrawn |
| Barking and Dagenham | — | — | 1 |
| Brent | — | — | 1 |
| Harrow | 1 | — | — |
| Islington | 1 | — | — |
| Sutton | 1 | — | — |
| Tower Hamlets | 1 | — | — |
(16)Information 1 January 1999 to 31 March 1999 not available.
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| Number of CPOs: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Local authority | Confirmed | Not confirmed | Withdrawn |
| Croydon | 1 | — | — |
| Greenwich | 2 | — | — |
| Waltham Forest | 1 | — | — |
| Westminster | 1 | — | — |
| Number of CPOs: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Local authority | Confirmed | Not confirmed | Withdrawn |
| Enfield | 1 | 1 | — |
| Hackney | 2 | — | — |
| Newham | 9 | 2 | — |
| Southwark | — | — | 1 |
| Waltham Forest | 1 | — | — |
| Wandsworth | — | — | 1 |
| Westminster | 1 | — | — |
Note:
Housing CPOs are only included in the figures from 1 January 2002 as information before this date is not readily available.
5 Jul 2005 : Column 298W
| Local authority | Number |
|---|---|
| Camden | 1 |
| Croydon | 1 |
| Ealing | 1 |
| Hackney | 1 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 1 |
| Lambeth | 1 |
| Newham | 6 |
| Wandsworth | 1 |
| Westminster | 5 |
Consultants
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to issue guidance on effective commissioning for those in the public and voluntary sectors who are commissioning work from external consultants. [7022]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary on 27 June 2005, Official Report, column 1286W.
Council Tax
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Deputy Prime Minister pays council tax for his official residences. [4324]
Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister occupies Admiralty House as his official residence assigned to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. It is occupied as a second home used solely for the purpose of carrying out his job. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister contributes a set proportion of the total maintenance, renovation and running costs of Admiralty House, which is managed by the Cabinet Office.
My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister also has the use of Dorneywood. Dorneywood is owned and operated by the Dorneywood Trust which is a registered charity, therefore there is no cost to public funds.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated cost is of the council tax revaluation process in England. [4326]
Mr. Woolas:
My hon. Friend the former Member for Shipley in a written reply to the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey) on 26 June 2003, Official Report, column 895W, indicated that the cost of council tax revaluation was in the region of £200 million including the cost of handling appeals. My hon. Friend explained that that was a very broad estimate because the cost would be affected by the methods used and that
5 Jul 2005 : Column 299W
decisions on those had not yet been taken. The cost of the Valuation Office Agency's work in preparing for and delivering the council tax revaluation in England on 1 April 2007 is currently estimated at £139.3 million, excluding any element of contingency. This includes expenditure on electronic capture and enhancement of hard copy records and in development of an automated valuation model capability that will also benefit future revaluations. Beyond 1 April 2007, the Valuation Office Agency are currently estimating additional costs above baseline of around £38 million in 2007–08 arising from an expected increase in workload arising from appeals. Final costs will however depend in part on the recommendations of Sir Michael Lyons' independent inquiry into local Government funding.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the anticipated cost of (a) the council tax revaluation process and (b) the Lyons review of local government finance is. [7171]
Mr. Woolas: On (a) I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 30 June 2005, Official Report, column 1653W and on (b) I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 30 June 2005, Official Report, column 1655W.
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average amount spent by each household in England on council tax was in the last year for which figures are available. [9001]
Mr. Woolas: The average council tax per dwelling in England for 2005–06 is estimated at £1,009.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households are liable for council tax in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland. [9534]
Mr. Woolas: The number of chargeable dwellings liable for council tax in England in November 2004 was 21,129,000.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister do not hold data for Wales or Scotland; the data for the number of chargeable dwellings liable for council tax in Scotland and Wales are available from the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Executive respectively.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the (a) external advisers, (b) academics and (c) consultants that his Department have consulted over council tax revaluation. [9533]
Mr. Woolas: The Balance of Funding Review, which was chaired by my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Local and Regional Government, received evidence from the New Policy Institute on council tax reform which covered revaluation. The papers presented by the Institute are available on the website of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister at:
The terms of reference for Sir Michael Lyons's independent inquiry into local finance require him to make recommendations on how best to reform council tax, taking into account the forthcoming revaluation of domestic property.
5 Jul 2005 : Column 300W
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for how many years the Government expect they will provide transitional relief following the council tax revaluation in England. [9544]
Mr. Woolas: The Government will consider the appropriate length of time for which a transitional relief scheme should run in the light of the conclusions of the Lyons Inquiry and the responses to the subsequent consultation.
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