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16 Feb 2006 : Column 2240W—continued
Local Government Restructuring
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions (a) he has had and (b) Members of his Department have had with local authorities on local government restructuring. [49820]
Mr. Woolas: , My right hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Mr. Miliband) announced a comprehensive programme of engagement on local government re-organisation on 2 February. As part of this programme my right hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Mr. Miliband) met with councillors, chief executives, public sector partners, the business sector and other key stakeholders from Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Herefordshire on 7 February in Shrewsbury.
Members of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have held meetings with chief executives of county and district councils to discuss local government restructuring on six separate occasions since December 2005.
Local Government Wages
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average increase in local government employee wages was in each year since 1996–97; and what the cost of the local government wage bill was in each year since 1996–97. [42605]
Mr. Woolas: Information on local government wages is not held centrally. However, the increase in the local government employee pay bill and the cost of the local government employee expenditure in each year as reported by local authorities, are shown in the following table for the years available:
(16) This figure is for pay only, excluding National Insurance employer contributions, pensions, and employee related costs, but including overtime payments, bonuses, golden handshakes etc. It has only been collected on this basis since 1998–99. It is estimated from the Subjective Analysis Return (SAR), part of the Revenue Outturn (RO) suite of forms collected by ODPM from local authorities. The SAR is a sample survey and collects information from 121 authorities in England. The data have been grossed up to provide estimates for England as a whole.
(17) Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changes in the method of reporting the information. In particular, the outturn data for 1996–97 to 2002–03 have been calculated on a non-FRS (Financial Reporting Standard) 17 basis while the outturn data for 2003–04 and 2004–05 have been calculated on an FRS 17 basis. Hence, figures for different years may not be directly comparable.
(18) Total net current expenditure on employees as collected by the RO forms. This includes all direct and indirect employee expenses and contributions to employee-related provisions, including national insurance contributions, pensions and employee related expenses.
Notes:
All data are as published in Local Government Financial Statistics or in National Statistics Releases as available from http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/stats/index.htm
All figures are for England only.
16 Feb 2006 : Column 2242W
Local government pay can be further split by employee group for 1998–99 onwards:
(19) This figure is for pay only, excluding National Insurance employer contributions, pensions, and employee related costs, but including overtime payments, bonuses, golden handshakes etc. It has only been collected on this basis since 1998–99. It is estimated from the Subjective Analysis Return (SAR), part of the Revenue Outturn (RO) suite of forms collected by ODPM from local authorities. The SAR is a sample survey and collects information from 121 authorities in England. The data have been grossed up to provide estimates for England as a whole.
(20) Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changes in the method of reporting the information. In particular, the outturn data for 1996–97 to 2002–03 have been calculated on a non-FRS (Financial Reporting Standard) 17 basis while the outturn data for 2003–04 and 2004–05 have been calculated on an FRS 17 basis. Hence, figures for different years may not be directly comparable.
(21)lsquo; Other Local Government Staff' includes Chief Executives, Chief Financial Officers, fire support staff, all non-teachers working in Education as well as all other local government employees.
Notes:
All data are as published in Local Government Financial Statistics or in National Statistics Releases as available from http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/stats/index.htm
All figures are for England only.
Milton Keynes Partnerships Committee
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who the voting members of Milton Keynes Partnerships Committee are; and whether their posts are remunerated. [51030]
Yvette Cooper: The voting members of Milton Keynes Partnership, the local delivery vehicle for Milton Keynes, and the status of their remuneration, are shown in the following table.
Mobile Telephone Masts
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many new mobile telephone masts have been erected under permitted development rights in (a) Southend-on-Sea, (b) Southend West constituency and (c) Essex in each of the last 48 months for which figures are available; [50476]
(2) how many applications there have been to construct mobile telephone masts in (a) Southend-on-Sea, (b) Southend West constituency and (c) Essex in each year since 2000; how many of these applications have been (i) granted and (ii) refused; and what the reason for refusal was in each case. [50477]
Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, during September and October every year the mobile network operators write to every local authority with details of their network rollout for the year ahead. When they write to the local authority they also provide details of their existing sites within the local authority area. The hon. Member may want to contact the network operators for copies of their plans.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what power his Department has granted since 1997 to local authorities to refuse applications by mobile telephone companies to erect telephone masts; and if he will make a statement. [50480]
Yvette Cooper:
All ground based masts are already subject to planning control so that if the local authority considers that the development will pose a serious threat to amenity, it is able to refuse approval. For masts over 15 metres in height a full planning application is required. For masts under 15 metres in height a prior approval application is required.
16 Feb 2006 : Column 2243W
Since 1997, the Government have strengthened the prior approval arrangements twice. Local planning authorities can decline a mast on planning grounds in prior approval applications in the same way as a normal planning application so long as they act within eight weeks. Eight weeks is also the performance target for dealing with most planning applications for telecommunications developments.
Mr. Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many planning applications for new mobile phone masts have been approved in West Suffolk in each year since 1997. [50724]
Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, during September and October every year the mobile network operators write to every local authority with details of their network rollout for the year ahead. When they write to the local authority they also provide details of their existing sites within the local authority area. You may want to contact the network operators for copies of their plans.
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