Previous Section Index Home Page

13 July 2009 : Column 129W—continued

Local Government: Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) local authorities in England and (b) City of York Council spent on employing (i) educational and (ii) other staff in (A) 2002-03 and (B) the latest year for which figures are available; and what change there has been in the proportion of (1) local authority and (2) City of York Council expenditure on staff since 2002-03. [285706]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is tabled as follows:

Employee expenditure
£ million
2002-03 2007-08

City of York

Education service

67.5

89.8

Other services

37.6

62.3

All services

105.1

152.1

Percentage of total net current expenditure: all services

63

69

England

Education service

21,972.8

30,087.7

Other services

22,372.0

31,593.7

All services

44,344.8

61,681.5

Percentage of total net current expenditure: all services

68

65


13 July 2009 : Column 130W

Total expenditure on employees as reported by authorities to Communities and Local Government on revenue outturn (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.

Figures are not necessarily comparable year-on-year owing to changes in the funding, function and structure of local authorities during this time. In particular, the outturn data for 2002-03 have been calculated on a non-financial reporting standard (FRS) 17 basis while the outturn data for 2007-08 have been calculated on a FRS 17 basis.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what expenditure his Department has incurred on the administration of the Mortgage Rescue Scheme to date; [285968]

(2) what expenditure his Department has incurred on the Mortgage Rescue Scheme to date. [286020]

John Healey: The Mortgage Rescue Scheme was established as part of wide continuing work on the Department's homelessness prevention programme. The impact assessment, which sets out the estimated costs and benefits for the Mortgage Rescue Scheme, was published on 16 September 2008 and is available at:

The Mortgage Rescue Scheme has funding of £285 million over two years. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is responsible for delivery of the scheme. The HCA's programme expenditure will be published in its annual report and accounts.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the (a) total business rate liability that eligible businesses will defer under the business rate deferral scheme and (b) number of businesses eligible to make such deferrals in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12. [285126]

Ms Rosie Winterton: On (a), details of take-up estimates and revenue impacts of the business rates deferral scheme are contained in the scheme's impact assessment which can be found at the following link:

A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

On (b), information on the number of businesses eligible to defer in 2009-10 is not held centrally.

We have no plans to implement a similar business rates deferral scheme for 2010-11 or 2011-12.

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the number of properties subject to the business rate deferral scheme in respect of which more than 40 per cent. of the 2009-10 rates liability will have been paid before the first recalculated payment instalments are issued by local authorities; and what
13 July 2009 : Column 131W
estimate has been made of the total business rate liabilities which will have been paid before the recalculated payments come into effect. [285127]

Ms Rosie Winterton: No estimates have been made as the required information is not held centrally. Ratepayers are able to defer 60 per cent. of the increase in their 2009-10 rates bills caused by: the RPI adjustment to the non-domestic rates multiplier; and the end of the transitional relief scheme for the 2005 revaluation period. However, the amount that an eligible ratepayer can defer will be based on their entire 2009-10 bill.

Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations his Department has received on empty property business rate relief from (a) representative industry groups and (b) individual property owners since January 2008. [285118]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Our records show that we received 349 letters on empty property rates (EPR) between March 2007 and December 2008 from businesses and individuals both directly to Community and Local Government Ministers and via constituency MPs.

We have received representations from a number of representative bodies. These include:

The Government listened to the concerns expressed by stakeholders and as a result announced in the 2008 pre-Budget report a temporary raising of the threshold at which rates on empty property becomes due from £2,200 to £15,000.

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the number of properties (a) eligible for empty property business rate relief and (b) on which empty property business rate relief was claimed in each region in each year from 2005-06 to 2008-09;
13 July 2009 : Column 132W
and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for each year from 2009-10 to 2011-12. [285128]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Local authority estimates of the number of properties on which empty property relief was being claimed, by region, as at 31 December 2007 and 31 December 2008 are shown in the following table. Data for earlier years were not collected and no estimates have been made of the number of properties that will claim relief in future years.

Number of properties on which empty property relief is being claimed
31 December 2007 31 December 2008

North East

8,575

7,570

North West

30,305

27,597

Yorkshire and the Humber

19,235

17,138

East Midlands

15,158

12,244

West Midlands

24,282

18,181

East of England

19,682

14,967

London

33,506

20,840

South East

20,498

15,793

South West

15,129

13,593

Total England

186,370

147,923


No estimates have been made of the number of properties eligible for empty property rate relief.

Data are not strictly comparable as the rules governing empty property rate relief were changed by the Ratings (Empty Properties) Act 2007 and further subsequent changes.

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much empty property business rate relief was granted in each region in each year from 2005-06 to 2008-09; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for each year from 2009-10 to 2011-12. [285129]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Details of the amount of empty property business rate relief granted in each year by local authorities (in £ million) in each region in each year from 2005-06 to 2007-08 are shown in the following table. Also shown are local authority estimates of the empty property business rate relief they will grant in 2008-09 and 2009-10. No estimates have been made for 2010-11 or 2011 -12.

Empty property business rate relief granted by local authorities
£ million
2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09( 1) 2009-10( 1)

North East

36.9

43.4

42.2

32.8

22.1

North West

161.3

189.3

178.6

149.3

94.4

Yorkshire and the Humber

97.0

110.0

117.7

82.4

50.9

East Midlands

74.1

83.4

81.6

77.3

43.7

West Midlands

154.8

145.1

143.8

111.3

54.2

East of England

119.2

122.5

127.9

102.1

52.9

London

397.7

383.2

327.6

246.7

145.3

South East

202.2

206.1

195.0

140.3

67.3

South West

70.3

78.8

79.5

59.1

39.0

Total England

1,313.5

1,361.8

1,294.0

1,001.2

569.8

(1) Estimate

13 July 2009 : Column 133W

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid in business rates on empty properties in each region in each year from 2005-06 to 2008-09; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for each year from 2009-10 to 2011-12. [285130]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not available centrally.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fast-track reassessments of port operators' business rates are being made by the Valuation Office Agency; how long on average each such reassessment has taken; and when he expects such reassessments to be completed. [284983]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Since 24 November 2008 the Valuation Office Agency has received 308 proposals (appeals) against properties within ports. All have been dealt with in accordance with the 'fast track' procedures. 71 appeals have been resolved. At 1 June 2009 the average time taken for each appeal was 44 days.

In all but the most complex cases, the agency will reach a considered decision within two months of the date of receipt of the appeal.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many operators in each port (a) are being assessed and (b) remain to be assessed for business rates by the Valuation Office Agency. [284984]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Within the 45 statutory ports and container terminals in England, there are, at 1 April 2005, over 2,200 separate assessments for business rates.


Next Section Index Home Page