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16 Dec 2009 : Column 1294W—continued
The definition of central Government grant used here is the sum of Formula Grant (revenue support grant, redistributed non-domestic rates and police grant), Greater London Authority (GLA) grant and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF), i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services. In past years, where applicable the SSA reduction grant and Central Support Protection Grants have also been included. From 2008-09 it also includes Area Based Grant (ABG).
Figures exclude grants outside AEF (i.e. where funding is not for authorities' core services, but is passed to a third party, for example, rent allowances and rebates), capital grants, funding for the local authorities' housing management responsibilities and those grant programmes (such as European funding) where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area.
Per capita figures are calculated using Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Mid-Year Population estimates from 1997 to 2008.
From 2000-01 onwards Metropolitan Police Authority and London Fire and Civil Defence Authority data are collected within Greater London Authority returns. Hence separate data are not available.
From 2004-05 Combined Fire Authorities (CFA) became precepting authorities. Prior to this CFAs levied on county councils' budget requirements.
Comparison across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities.
Local Government: Reorganisation
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for the restructuring of local government in Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon. [306751]
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to lay before Parliament an order to implement unitary local government in Devon, Norfolk or Suffolk. [306471]
Ms Rosie Winterton: As I told the House on 8 December, Official Report, column 13WS, until 19 January 2010 representations may be made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State about the Boundary Committee's advice on unitary proposals for Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk, and about the unitary proposals made by Exeter, Ipswich and Norwich.
Thereafter, recognising the need to end uncertainty, the Secretary of State intends to move forward as quickly as practicable. Having regard to the Boundary Committee's advice, all the representations he receives, and all other relevant information available to him, he intends to take his statutory decisions as to whether to implement, with or without modification, any of the unitary proposals before him, or to take no action.
If the Secretary of State decides to implement a proposal, he will lay before Parliament a draft of an order which, if approved, he will make to give effect to his decision.
Local Government: Standards
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) the Audit Commission and (b) local authorities of the Comprehensive Area Assessment regime to date. [306749]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) is a joint inspectorate assessment framework that replaces several preceding assessments and the annual cost of delivering it spans the relevant inspectorates and their sponsoring Departments.
The cost to the Audit Commission of its work on CAA is covered by a mixture of the fees paid by local authorities and direct grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). In 2009-10, the first year of CAA, the cost is estimated to be £26.9 million. This is funded by £6.7 million inspection fees paid by local authorities, and £20.2 million grant from CLG which includes Fire and Rescue Authority work. The Use of Resources element of CAA is included in the work of auditors appointed by the Commission which is funded by audit fees paid by local authorities.
The Audit Commission, on behalf of the joint inspectorates responsible for CAA, has commissioned an independent evaluation of CAA. This will look at implementation and delivery of the new arrangements, co-ordination across inspectorates and the initial cost to inspected bodies. A report is expected in March 2010.
Local Government: Suffolk
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse has been of legal costs associated with the High Court and Court of Appeal cases on the Boundary Committee's Structural Review of Suffolk. [306808]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
All the legal costs of all the parties in this case will fall on the public purse. The Court of Appeal has made an order requiring the councils which initiated the case-Forest Heath district council, St. Edmundsbury borough council and Suffolk Coastal district council-to pay all of the Boundary Committee's costs in the administrative court and the Court of Appeal, in addition to their own costs. Whilst we do not hold information as to the amount of the costs of the authorities or of the Boundary Committee,
we assess that the Secretary of State's legal costs, to be met by him as an interested party in the case, are some £34,300.
Mass Media
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent by (a) the Homes and Communities Agency, (b) the Tenant Services Authority, (c) the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit and (d) his Department on media monitoring since the start of 2009-10. [305967]
John Healey: Since the start of financial year 2009-10, the Homes and Communities Agency, has spent £22,658.20 (not including VAT) on media monitoring. The Tenant Services Authority has spent £13,747.70 (including VAT) and the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit has identified costs of £756.0 (not including VAT). The Department has spent £266,835 (including VAT) on media monitoring. The figure for the Department comprises the subscription charges to the Central Office of Information's Media Monitoring Service and externally procured contracts for national and regional press cuttings.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by (a) the Homes and Communities Agency, (b) the Tenant Services Authority, (c) the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit and (d) his Department on media monitoring in each of the last three years. [305968]
John Healey: The Homes and Communities Agency and the Tenant Services Authority were both created on the 1 December 2008. Between 1 December 2008 and 31 March 2009, the Homes and Communities Agency spent £8,475.30 (not including VAT) on media monitoring. Over the same period, the Tenant Services Authority spent £10,160.34 (including VAT) on media monitoring. The National Housing and Planning Advice Unit were established in February 2007. It did not subscribe to a media monitoring service in that financial year. For financial years 2007-08 and 2008-09 figures are not separately identifiable.
In financial year 2008-09, the Department spent a total of £335,935.13 on media monitoring. The figure for the Department comprises the subscription charges to the Central Office of Information's Media Monitoring Service and externally procured contracts for national and regional press cuttings.
In respect of monitoring for financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan) to the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt) on 29 October 2008, Official Report, columns 1138-39W.
Mortgages: Government Assistance
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many and what proportion of mortgage lenders have declined to participate directly in the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme; [306892]
(2) which sub-prime lenders have refused to take part in the Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme. [307142]
John Healey: We have acted rapidly to put in place a range of help and support at every stage for households struggling with their mortgage. Homeowners Mortgage Support provides a valuable backstop if repossession cannot be prevented in other ways by giving struggling borrowers a breathing space to recover their finances. Lenders covering over 90 per cent. of the residential mortgage market (based on 2008 data from the Council of Mortgage Lenders) have committed to offering this level of extended forbearance: of these, lenders representing over 50 per cent. of the market are offering the Government-backed scheme and over 40 per cent. of the market are offering similar levels of support through their own forbearance without the need for Government guarantee. A list of these lenders can be accessed at:
The Government are continuing to engage with those lenders who have not yet made a clear commitment to offer Homeowners Mortgage Support. The Financial Services Authority published the conclusions of its Mortgage Markets Review in October, setting out plans to strengthen regulation of arrears management and charges. This is to include converting their current guidance on forbearance into binding rules that prescribe a non-exhaustive list of tools that firms must employ to help consumers in arrears, including consideration of Government schemes put in place to help borrowers.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the accepted offers by households under the Mortgage Rescue Scheme between January and September 2009 have been recorded as completed. [306919]
John Healey: All accepted offers reported by local authorities between January and September 2009 had also been recorded as completed by the end of September 2009 by the Homes and Communities Agency following draw down of grant by the registered social landlord.
The data on the Mortgage Rescue Scheme are official statistics, under which an accepted offer is recorded once contracts between the household, lender and registered social landlord have been signed and finalised.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the £80 million for the Mortgage Rescue Scheme announced in April has been spent in each region. [307005]
John Healey: We have acted rapidly to put in place a range of help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage, and launched a campaign to ensure households have clear information about the help available.
In April's Budget we announced increased help for homeowners facing repossession, including an expansion of the mortgage rescue scheme to include households in negative equity.
Data published in November for the July to September period show that there were over 1,100 'live' cases, of which 690 cases had benefited from action to stop the immediate threat of repossession and almost 100 households
had completed the process and been able to remain in their homes. Regional spend to end September is broken down as follows:
| Region | Total spend (£) |
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when figures for the take-up of the (a) Mortgage Rescue Scheme and (b) Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme will next be published. [307073]
John Healey: We have acted rapidly to put in place a range of help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage, and launched a campaign to ensure households have clear information about the help available.
Mortgage Rescue Scheme summary monitoring statistics are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website. Figures can be accessed using the following link:
Statistics for the October-December period will be published on 11 February 2010.
Management information on Homeowners Mortgage Support was released by the Department on 9 December 2009. Figures can be accessed using the following link:
Information on Homeowners Mortgage Support will next be published by spring 2010.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in City of York Council area have participated in the Government's temporary scheme to reduce the number of mortgage repossessions during the economic downturn. [307384]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Members for Ashford (Damian Green), Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) and Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) on 14 December, Official Report, columns 914-915W.
Non-Domestic Rates
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have exercised their powers under section 49 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 to reduce or remit the payment of business rates in cases of hardship in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10 on the latest date for which figures are available. [306894]
Barbara Follett: The following local authorities have reported to Communities and Local Government that they granted hardship relief in 2008-09, the latest date for which figures are available:
Aylesbury Vale, Barnsley, Basingstoke and Deane, Bedford, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Blyth Valley, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Broxbourne, Cannock Chase, Castle Morpeth, Charnwood, Crewe and Nantwich, Daventry, Derby, Derwentside, Easington, East Devon, East Hampshire, East Lindsey, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Staffordshire, Eastleigh, Exeter, Forest Heath, Forest of Dean, Greenwich, Hackney, Harrogate, High Peak, Horsham, Huntingdonshire, Ipswich, Kennet, Kensington and Chelsea, Kerrier, Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, Kirklees, Knowsley, Leeds, Leicester UA, Lewes, Luton UA, Macclesfield, Mansfield, Mendip, Mid Bedfordshire, Mid Sussex, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, North Cornwall, North East Derbyshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Tyneside, North Warwickshire, Norwich, Purbeck, Redcar and Cleveland, Richmondshire, Rother, Rotherham, Salisbury, Sandwell, Scarborough, Sedgemoor, Selby, Sevenoaks, Sheffield, Shepway, Slough, South Bedfordshire, South Derbyshire, South Gloucestershire, South Lakeland, South Northamptonshire, South Ribble, St. Albans, Stevenage, Stratford-on-Avon, Stroud, Sutton, Tendring, Tewkesbury, Thanet, Tower Hamlets, Tynedale, Vale Royal, Wandsworth, Warrington, Waveney, West Devon, West Dorset, West Wiltshire, Westminster, Weymouth and Portland, Wigan, Woking, Wolverhampton, Wychavon, Wycombe, Wyre Forest.
The information was reported on the annual national non-domestic rates (NNDR3) form completed by all billing authorities in England.
Data for 2009-10 will not be available until the autumn of 2010.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 50 individual hereditaments in Greater London have the greatest percentage increase in rateable values from the 2005 rating list to the draft 2010 rating list; what the rateable value was in each case (a) before and (b) after revaluation; and what the (i) address and (ii) local billing authority is in each case. [305815]
Barbara Follett: The table shows the billing authority and the rateable values on the 2005 Rating List and on the draft 2010 Rating List of the 50 individual hereditaments in Greater London which saw the biggest percentage increase in the period between the two lists, as at 29 May 2009. These data are consistent with the consultation document titled: "The Transitional Arrangements for the Non-Domestic Rating Revaluation 2010 in England", published on 8 July 2009. A copy of this can be found at the following link:
No address information other than postcode is held in the dataset used for the analysis. The address, 2005 list rateable value and 2010 draft list rateable value from the live database for each hereditament in the central and local rating lists are published on the Valuation Office Agency's website and this information is updated weekly:
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