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8 July 2009 : Column 906W—continued
Collection of council tax and national non-domestic rates continues once the financial year to which the tax relates has ended. This means that the final amount uncollected is somewhere between the figures shown here and zero.
The data are derived from data reported on QRC4 forms submitted annually by all billing authorities to Communities and Local Government and its predecessor Departments.
Local Government: Joint Ventures
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the recent judgement of the Court of Appeal in the case of Risk Management Partners United v Council of the London Borough of Brent and others on the establishment of new joint working service ventures. [284007]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 30 June 2009, Official Report, column 196W.
Local Government: Reorganisation
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will withdraw plans for unitary local government restructuring in Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon. [283829]
Ms Rosie Winterton: As my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing told the House on 24 February 2009, Official Report, column 22-24WH, if appropriate unitary structures are identified they have the potential to offer real benefits for the residents of Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk by delivering better services, improved efficiency, stronger strategic leadership and genuine engagement and empowerment of local communities.
There is strong evidence that the nine new unitary authorities established on 1 April 2009 are already delivering such benefits, and we will therefore carefully consider any advice from the Boundary Committee, which we have requested by 15 July 2009, and intend to take our statutory decisions as to whether to implement any unitary proposals for these three county areas as soon as practicable.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the gross cost to the public purse of the recent round of local government restructuring. [284073]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison) on 2 July 2009, Official Report, column 373W.
Local Government: Standards
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage public satisfaction rate with (a) household
waste collections and (b) local government as a whole was recorded by the (i) Best Value Survey and (ii) Place Survey in each relevant year since 1997. [284044]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The following tables provide the percentage public satisfaction rate with ( a) household waste collections and (b) local government as a whole recorded by the BVPI Survey and Place Survey in each relevant year since 1997.
| BVPI Survey | ||
| Percentage satisfied with the waste collection service overall (BV90a) | Percentage satisfied with the way the authority runs things (BV3) | |
| Place S urvey | ||
| Percentage satisfied with refuse collection | Percentage satisfied with how the council runs things | |
Published results from the BVPI surveys are not directly comparable with the results from the Place Survey. The published BVPI national results are averages based on each council’s results. The published Place Survey results are weighted totals for all respondents in England.
The requested information was collected by the BVPI surveys in 2000-01, 2003-04, and 2006-07. The results have been published in a report by Communities and Local Government which is available to download via the following website address:
Tables 2, 3 and 6 contain the requested information.
Similar information was collected by the Place Survey in 2008. The results have been published in a statistics release by Communities and Local Government which is available to download via the following website address:
The requested information can be found on pages 4 and 5.
Mortgages: Government Assistance
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households have received financial support under the (a) mortgage rescue scheme and (b) mortgage homeowners support scheme. [284169]
John Healey: The mortgage rescue scheme has been operational across England since January 2009. As part of the monitoring arrangements for the scheme, headline data for January to May 2009, provided by local authorities operating the scheme and broken down by Government office region, are available on the Department's website. The figures can be assessed using the following link:
The aim of homeowners mortgage support is to prevent repossessions, where households suffer a temporary income shock. The Government have published an impact assessment, which estimates how many borrowers, at UK level, could be eligible. Official figures on the number of households entering the scheme will be published later this year.
In the current economic conditions, we have acted rapidly to put in place help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage: from free debt advice when problems start, to free support for cases that reach court. Advice is available to all households struggling with their mortgage, with targeted schemes for those in most need.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeowners are in receipt of assistance under the Homeowner Mortgage Protection Scheme. [284279]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins) on 1 July 2009, Official Report, column 317W.
National Policy Statements
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for the publication of (a) draft and (b) final national policy statements. [283834]
John Healey: The Department for Communities and Local Government published on its website on 27 January a Route Map for implementation of the Infrastructure Planning Commission regime, including the current timetable for preparation of national policy statements which are the responsibility of the lead Departments concerned. Copies are available in the House Library.
We confirmed in the Route Map that we would discuss the appropriate lead in time for the commencement of the new regime with potential promoters, industry and other interested organisations, and then update it to reflect that process.
Non-domestic Rates
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether firms which are in arrears in their business rate payments will be eligible for the business rate deferral scheme. [284008]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Ratepayers in arrears can be granted deferral by billing authorities. However, in cases where a ratepayer has been noticed by their billing authority that they have lost the right to make payments by instalment and that therefore their whole liability has become due, the billing authority can deny them deferral. This will be set out in regulation.
Billing authorities will have discretion to enter into special payment arrangements with businesses facing financial difficulties, of which the deferral scheme should be seen as an additional tool.
Mr. Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the rate of take-up of small business rate relief amongst eligible firms; and on what
assumptions on take-up made in the 2008-09 financial year the increase in the multiplier for business rates for medium-sized and large firms was based. [284081]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of properties reported by local authorities as claiming small business rate relief as at 31 December 2006 was 392,000.
Local authorities reported that they granted £723 million small business rate relief between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2008. They expect to grant a further £570 million of relief in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
We have made no recent estimate of the overall take-up rate of Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) as data are not held on the number of firms that are eligible. We asked local authorities to estimate numbers of businesses that were eligible for SBRR in the annual national non-domestic rate return. We are examining these data to assess their quality before making a decision whether they are suitable for publication. Meanwhile, we are working to see if we can establish an estimate for take-up using previous research in this area.
Small business rate relief is funded by a supplement on the multiplier paid by those firms not receiving the relief. In 2008-09, an assumption was made that there would be a small increase in the number of ratepayers receiving the relief, following a change in legislation in 2008-09 allowing ratepayers to apply just once for the relief in each revaluation period.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the expected take-up rate of the partial deferment scheme for increases in business rates. [284084]
Ms Rosie Winterton: An assessment of the impact of the deferral scheme will be published alongside the regulations when they are laid in Parliament in July.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the proposed business rate partial deferment scheme will provide for refunds to businesses which have paid more than 40 per cent. of the value of the 2009-10 rate increase. [284175]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The deferral scheme will enable businesses to defer payment of 60 per cent. of the annual RPI increase in their 2009-10 rates bill—and, where applicable, 60 per cent. of any increase due to the end of the 2005 transitional relief scheme—until 2010-11 and 2011-12. Regulations implementing the scheme will be brought into force by the end of July.
It does not matter whether ratepayers have already paid, through monthly instalments, a certain portion of their 2009-10 rates bills when the scheme comes into force. All ratepayers with outstanding 2009-10 rates liabilities will be able to defer the amounts set out above (or their entire outstanding liability if that is a lesser amount). The deferred amount will be deducted from their remaining 2009-10 instalment payments.
The Government do not have the power to make the regulations apply retrospectively, so billing authorities will not be able to provide refunds to any ratepayers who have chosen to pay their 2009-10 rates liabilities in full instead of exercising their right to pay by instalments.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average business rate bill in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10 in England. [284506]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The average non-domestic rates bill in England is estimated as £11,357 in 2008-09 and £12,145 in 2009-10.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009, Official Report, columns 754-55W, on non-domestic rates, what the amount of costs associated with implementing deferral of business rate payments is in Table C11 of the 2009 Financial Statement and Budget Report within the departmental expenditure limit for his Department. [285076]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The net additional costs to local government as a whole associated with implementing the business rates deferral scheme will be fully funded in accordance with the Government's policy on new burdens. We have estimated those costs to be approximately £5.8 million. The costs will be found from the existing 2009-10 CLG Local Government Departmental Expenditure Limit of £25.6 billion, as set in Column 3 of Table C11.
Non-domestic Rates: Aerials
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether business rates may be levied in respect of mobile telephone pico-masts. [284174]
Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the additional net revenue raised under the new arrangements for empty property business rates in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [283828]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The amount of empty property relief that local authorities estimated that they will grant in 2008-09 and 2009-10 was £1,001 million and £570 million respectively, compared with £1,294 million in 2007-08.
These data are available in table 2 of the Statistics Release “National non-domestic rates to be collected by local authorities in England 2009-10” that is available on the Communities and Local Government website at
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the number of non-domestic buildings which were demolished in each region in each year from 2005-06 to 2008-09; on what proportion of such buildings business rates were being paid; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for each year from 2009-10 to 2011-12. [285131]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Neither the Department nor its agencies collect statistics on the number of demolitions of non-domestic properties. Nor do we make estimates of these figures for the next three years.
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