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13 Mar 2009 : Column 769W—continued
Local Government Finance
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what amount and proportion of central Government grant to local authorities comprised redistributed business rate revenue in each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available. [262166]
John Healey: Business rates are pooled centrally and the revenue contributes towards funding local government alongside other grants.
I have placed in the Library of the House a table showing the details of amounts from the national business rates pool, the amounts of other grant payments and the proportion of the total that each represents, in each local authority area for 2007-08.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology is used to calculate performance reward grant; and how much funding her Department has allocated for distribution under the grant in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [262274]
John Healey: For Local Area Agreements (LAA) and Local Public Service Agreements (LPSAs) agreed prior to 2008 the total potential reward grant (if all targets are achieved) is equivalent to 2.5 per cent. of an authority's net budget requirement (the budget requirement plus dedicated schools grant less parish precepts) in the financial year prior to the start of the LAA or LPSA. In the case of two-tier areas, the net budget requirement of any district councils was also included in the calculation. Grants are paid as half revenue grant and half capital grant.
The proportion of the potential grant payable to any authority is determined by their performance in relation to the improvement targets agreed. Local authorities are currently submitting claims and £378 million is allocated to meet these claims in 2008-9. For 2009-10 a total of £257 million has been allocated. It is difficult to accurately predict in advance the exact funding levels required as this depends upon the final performance achieved in relation to each target.
Local Government Services: Children
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have adopted National Indicator 116. [263560]
John Healey: Forty-five of local authorities have set targets in their local area agreements against National Indicator 116—Proportion of Children in Poverty. Performance data against the indicator apply to all areas in England, not just those areas that have a target.
The full list of local authorities across England that adopted this and other National Indicators is available on the Improvement and Development Agency for local government (IDeA) website:
Non-Domestic Rates
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 20 January 2009, Official Report, column 1277W, on non-domestic rates, in what circumstances and in respect of which types of property automated analytical techniques were used by the Valuation Office Agency in its preparatory work for the 2010 revaluation. [262668]
John Healey: Automated techniques have been used to inform the analysis of rents of industrial property in a limited number of local authority areas.
All final valuations will be produced by VOA staff.
Non-Domestic Rates: Ports
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter from P&O Ferries to the Minister for Local Government on retrospective port taxes. [262381]
John Healey: The letter contains information supplied to me on a confidential basis, and I am not therefore in a position to release it publicly.
Non-Domestic Rates: Small Businesses
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the (a) number and ( b) proportion of small businesses eligible to claim small business rate relief which do not do so. [262596]
John Healey: Data on the number of businesses who are eligible for small business rate relief and do not claim as at 31 December 2008 are currently being collected and will be available later this year.
Regeneration
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial corrections the European Commission has imposed on the UK in respect of financial irregularities in the administration of regeneration programmes. [262678]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 315W. Details are given in the Communities and Local Government resource accounts 2007-08 (HC791).
Regional Development Agencies: Finance
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the value for money of the contributions made by her Department to the budgets of the regional development agencies. [262319]
John Healey: The Department for Communities and Local Government's contribution to the budgets of the Regional Development Agencies is covered by audits and performance assessments of RDAs. Annual audits are carried out by the National Audit Office for those RDAs outside of London and by the Audit commission for the London Development Agency. The Government have commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct an independent evaluation of the economic impact of RDAs and will publish results from the evaluation shortly.
Regional Planning and Development
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 73-6WS, on departmental expenditure limits, which financial corrections to old European Regional Development Fund programmes the new provisions will cover. [262693]
John Healey:
The departmental expenditure limits stated in the written ministerial statement of 12 February
2009, Official Report, column 74WS, para. 4(c), cover financial corrections relating to 97-99 closure audits in the NW and NE.
Regional Planning and Development: EC Action
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 February 2009, Official Report, columns 73-6WS, on departmental expenditure limits, to which programme areas the provision for bad debts on old European Regional Development Fund programmes relates. [262587]
John Healey: In the Spring Supplementary Estimate 2008-09, the Department sought non-cash provision of £8,000,000 to cover potential write-offs in respect of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes from the 1994-99 and 2000-06 programme rounds.
Rented Housing: Greater London
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) guideline and (b) actual rent increase in each local authority in Greater London was in each of the last five years. [262553]
Mr. Iain Wright: The following tables set out the guideline rent increases for each local authority in London for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09.
Information on actual rent increases applied by London local authorities is not readily available.
| Guideline rent pd 2004-05 (£) | Guideline rent pd 2005-06 (£) | Cash change (£) | Percentage change | Guideline rent pd 2006-07 (£) | Cash change (£) | Percentage change | |
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