Written Answers to Questions
Friday 19 October 2007
Communities and Local Government
Arm’s Length Management Organisation
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local ballots have been held on whether local authorities should convert their housing department to an arm's length management organisation; and what the result of each ballot was, including the percentage of those balloted voting for each option. [157320]
Mr. Iain Wright: The following table lists which ALMOs have held ballots and the percentage of those balloted in favour of establishing an ALMO.
| Percentage | ||
| Local authority | Turnout | In favour |
Balance of Funding Review: Expenditure
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total cost was to the public purse of the Balance of Funding Review. [157636]
John Healey: 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.
City Hall: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Government Office for London’s estimate was of the total cost to the public purse of the Greater London Authority’s City Hall over the duration of the 25 year lease, based on the final contract signed by her Department’s predecessor. [157690]
Mr. Dhanda: In January 2000, the then Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions signed an agreement with the developers of More London for the procurement of the City Hall as the headquarters of the Greater London Authority. This agreement set out the annual rent payable for City Hall, which amounts to a total of £171.2 million over the 25 year lease—£6.5 million a year on average.
Community Development: Non-Profit Making Associations
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authority local enterprise growth initiative bids included social enterprise in each round. [156817]
John Healey: Social enterprise can play a central and important part in promoting enterprise and assisting regeneration. Bidders for local enterprise growth initiative funding were therefore asked to consider how their proposals might support the development of social enterprise and how elements of their bid might be delivered through social business models. The majority of bids featured elements on developing social enterprise.
Copies of the successful bids for both rounds one and two can be found on our website at:
Council Tax: Fire Services
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average fire authority precept on Band D council tax was in England in each year since individual precepts were created. [157480]
John Healey: Details of the average fire authority precept for Band D two-adult properties in England since individual precepts were introduced are as follows:
| Metropolitan fire authorities | Combined fire and rescue authorities | |
Prior to 2004-05, combined fire and rescue authorities were funded through grants from county councils, and not through a separate council tax precept.
The data are collected on Budget Requirement returns submitted annually by all billing and precepting authorities in England.
Council Tax: Grants
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what assumed council tax collection rate is used by her Department in the grant distribution formula; and whether this assumed rate varies according to the type of local authority; [157675]
(2) whether councils which have poor (a) council tax and (b) business rates collection rates receive lower total funding after the adjustments of equalisation; and whether councils with above-average collection rates are allowed to keep the additional income after the adjustments of equalisation. [157698]
John Healey: No assumptions are made about an authority’s collection rates of either council tax or business rates in the distribution to them of formula grant. Formula grant consists of Revenue Support Grant and redistributed National Non-Domestic Rates and, where appropriate, principal formula Police Grant.
Council Tax: Valuation
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent on preparing for the council tax revaluation in England prior to its postponement. [157559]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 327W.
Debts
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the average level of household debt. [157620]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 19 October 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on average household debt. (157620)
Published figures identifying households separately in the National Accounts are not available and are only produced combined with non-profit institutions serving households.
Annual estimates of total UK households have only been available since 1996; previously up to 1991 they were produced decennially.
| Total financial liabilities of households and non-profit institutions serving households (£ million) | Total number of UK households in millions | Average households financial liabilities in (£000) | |
| Source: Total financial liabilities of the households and non-profit institutions serving households—United Kingdom Economic Accounts Quarter 2, 2007, ONS http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=1904 Total number of UK Households—Focus on Families 2007, ONS http://www.statistics.gov.uk/focuson/families/ | |||
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