| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
11 Nov 2009 : Column 530W—continued
Land Restoration Trust
Grant Shapps:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) his Department and its predecessors and (b) the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessors
have given to the Land Restoration Trust in each of the last three years. [297429]
Mr. Ian Austin: In each of the last three years the Land Restoration Trust has received the following monies from the Department of Communities and Local Government and its predecessors: 2007-£1,140,554; 2008-£35,000; 2009-nil and from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and its predecessors: 2007-£11,156,967; 2008-£500,000; 2009-£5,045,196.
The six 'sites' the trust has acquired within this period are Canvey Wick, Dagenham Washlands, Dunlop Ponds, Upton Country Park, Vange Marshes, and Warrington Community Related Assets; between them they represent a mass of 260 hectares. Alongside the in-perpetuity maintenance of these sites (grass cutting, litter picking and infrastructure replacement), the trust regularly engage the local communities, hold a wide range of events and, most importantly, take on all the liabilities of those sites.
To date these six sites have delivered 3,350 health activities, 43 days of training, 816 educational activities with local schools and 378 volunteering days. It should be noted that three of these sites are still in the development process with restoration still being undertaken and so haven't achieved anywhere near their full potential as yet.
By allowing the trust to take on the ownership and management of these sites the HCA and CLG are protecting these spaces for future generations, ensuring that the cycle of dereliction is broken and future public sector funding.
Local Government: Contracts
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the extension of the Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Trade Unions and Advice in Government Contracting to local government. [293355]
Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply.
The Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Trade Unions and Advice in Government Contracting was launched across central Government Departments and Executive agencies in July 2008.
It has always been the Government's aim to extend the Joint Statement to other parts of the public services, following evaluation of the impact in central Government and subject to further discussion on the detail of any possible implementation.
A six-month review was recently completed by the Joint Statement Review Steering Group and is available in both Libraries of the House and on the Cabinet Office website at:
The review recorded good progress in implementation across central Government Departments and Executive agencies and noted the potential for local government to adopt the principles of the Joint Statement. The method and timetable for further extension will now be for local government to determine, supported by central Government Departments.
Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the effect of the 2010 non-domestic rate revaluation on the level of revenue raised from business rates on empty properties; and whether transitional rate relief is to apply to empty properties. [294551]
Barbara Follett: No assessment has been made of the effect of 2010 revaluation on the level of revenue raised from business rates on empty properties. These will be eligible for transitional relief in respect of increases in bills attributable to the revaluation.
The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases. This is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the (a) small firm and (b) standard business rate multiplier in 2010-11 in (i) England outside the City of London, (ii) the City of London and (iii) Wales. [297436]
Barbara Follett: In the consultation for the Transitional Relief Scheme the Department estimated that, as a result of the revaluation, the small business multiplier for 2010-11 will be 41.3 pence. This did not take into account the negative RPI inflation for September.
The Department has also estimated a national non-domestic multiplier of 41.7 pence for 2010-11 to allow ratepayers to estimate their rates bills for this period on the Business Link website. As in previous years, this multiplier will be found by adding to the small business multiplier an amount to recover the cost of the small business rate relief scheme. The provisional multipliers will be announced in due course.
The Department does not estimate the multiplier for the City of London as it is for the City of London to determine in accordance with part II of schedule 7 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 (as amended by the Local Government Finance Act 1992).
The Department does not estimate the multiplier for Wales as this is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.
The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief
scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases. This is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.
Seaside and Country Homes Scheme
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenants moved to each local authority area under the Seaside and Country Homes scheme in each of the last three years. [296927]
Mr. Ian Austin: The number of tenants that moved to local authority areas under the Seaside and Country Homes scheme in the last three years is detailed within following the table.
| Seaside and Country Homes Scheme-destination statistics by local authority | |||
| Local authority | 2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08 |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |