Written Statements

Monday 5th February 2024 Written Statements

Monday 5 February 2024

Sports Grounds Safety Authority Licence Fee

Monday 5th February 2024 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lucy Frazer)]

I wish to inform the House that the Government have taken the decision to reform the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) licence fee structure.

The SGSA is the regulator for spectator safety which includes the 92 designated football grounds in the premier league and English football league, as well as Wembley stadium and the Principality stadium. The SGSA also acts as the UK Government’s adviser on safety at sports grounds and is a world leader in safety.

As part of its regulatory role, the SGSA issues licences to allow grounds to permit spectators to watch matches. The annual licence fee for clubs was set in 1993 at £100, which does not reflect the cost of regulation.

In 2022 the SGSA took part in the Cabinet Office public bodies review programme, which concluded the current funding model is

“inflexible and not fit for purpose, with the licence fee not reflecting the costs of regulation”.

In the Government response, we committed to working closely with the SGSA to consider the implications and practicalities of amending its existing funding model and explore options to enact any changes.

I am pleased to say that we have acted upon the review’s recommendation and that from the 2024-25 season, the SGSA will be implementing a new fee structure for designated football grounds licensed by the SGSA. I have determined that the fee will be based on official average league attendance over the previous two seasons. This decision follows a six-week targeted consultation led by the SGSA with the industry on the proposals to change the licence fee.

This change will ensure that the cost of regulation is met by industry and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. The SGSA will conduct a three-year review of the licence fee, which will include consultation with the sector.

[HCWS238]

Public Health Grant: Local Authority Allocations 2024-25

Monday 5th February 2024 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Dame Andrea Leadsom)]

Today I am publishing the Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities in England for 2024-25.

Funding for local government’s health responsibilities is an essential element of our commitment to investing in preventing ill health, promoting healthier lives and addressing health disparities, and an important complement to our investment in both health and social care.

In 2024-25, we are increasing funding through the Public Health Grant and the pilot of 100% retained business rate funding for local authorities in Greater Manchester to £3.603 billion.

The allocations I am announcing today are part of a wider package of investment in public health services. From 2024-25 we are investing an additional £70 million per year to support local authority-led stop smoking services—nearly doubling current spend on these services—in support of our commitment to deliver a smoke-free generation. This further supplements targeted DHSC allocations to local authorities over the spending review period of £516 million to improve drug and alcohol addiction treatment and recovery, and £170 million to improve the Start for Life services.

This overall package will deliver a real-terms increase of more than 4% over the two years 2023-24 and 2024-25 in DHSC funding allocated for local authority public health functions over the spending review period, enabling local authorities to invest in the prevention of ill health and in essential frontline services.

The 2024-25 Public Health Grant will continue to be subject to conditions, including a ring-fence requiring local authorities to use the grant exclusively for public health activity.

Full details of the Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities for 2024-25 can be found on www.gov.uk. This information has been communicated to local authorities in a Local Authority Circular.

Attachments can be viewed online at:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2024-02-05/HCWS239/.

[HCWS239]

Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill: Public Consultation

Monday 5th February 2024 Written Statements

[The Minister for Security (Tom Tugendhat)]

Today the Government have launched a public consultation on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. The Bill is also known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was tragically killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017.

The Government reaffirmed their commitment to introduce this important piece of legislation in the King’s Speech on 7 November 2023. Extensive engagement and support from security partners, business and victims’ groups, including Figen Murray and the Martyn’s Law Campaign Team, has enabled significant progress on the development of Martyn’s Law to date. The Government would like, once again, to pay particular thanks to Figen Murray for her tireless campaigning and the significant personal contribution she has made to progressing this Bill.

Overview

The threat picture is complex, evolving, and enduring, with terrorists choosing to attack a broad range of locations. Since the start of 2017 there have been 14 terror attacks in the UK. Too many have sadly lost their lives.

The Bill will ensure premises in the UK are better prepared for terrorist attacks by requiring them to take necessary but proportionate steps according to their capacity to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack and reduce harm. Our expert security partners strongly consider that even basic knowledge will help to protect the public in the event of an attack. Through the Bill, those responsible for premises will be better prepared and ready to respond in the event of a terrorist attack, thereby enhancing public safety.

Following an 18-week public consultation on proposals in 2021, the Government confirmed their intention to bring forward the Bill in December 2022. To ensure the measures can meaningfully enhance public safety while remaining proportionate, we requested that the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill, which was published in May 2023.

Pre-legislative scrutiny, as well as our extensive engagement programme, provided important feedback from parliamentarians, businesses and other key stake-holders. This feedback particularly focused on the application of the proposals in relation to standard duty premises. These premises—the Standard Tier—are smaller, being largely those with a capacity of 100 to 799 individuals, e.g. many retail stores, bars, restaurants, theatres and village halls.

Next steps

On the strength of that feedback, we have revised the Standard Tier requirements to make them clearer and more proportionate, while ensuring they deliver on their primary objective: to implement simple procedures which could reduce harm and save lives in the event of a suspected attack. The consultation is focused specifically on this revised approach to the Standard Tier.

Consultation

This new approach is considered to be more proportionate, meaningful, effective and transparent than that previously agreed for the following reasons:



The purpose of the primary duty is now outcome-focused, aligns with comparable regimes—i.e. Health and Safety—and removes any previous assumptions around the Standard Tier requirements being too instructive and rigid, i.e. a “tick box” exercise.

It brings greater clarity to costs and expectations, i.e. the Standard Tier holds no legal requirement for premises to consider physical security measures, but focuses on procedures and the actions people working at the premises should take in response to an attack.

It measures all premises in scope against the same standard of “reasonably practicable”. This approach is better suited to the wide range of organisations that will be within scope of the Standard Tier because they will assess and implement procedures that are suitable for their individual circumstances. The “reasonably practicable” test includes what is financially feasible for premises.

We have moved away from a prescribed training requirement—i.e. a one size fits all package for all relevant staff. Instead, those responsible will be required to ensure that their procedures are adequately communicated and practised by relevant staff. Again, in implementing relevant procedures, those responsible will be held to a “reasonably practicable” standard.

The consultation seeks specific feedback on these measures to ensure the updated requirements proposed for Standard Tier premises are appropriate.

It also seeks respondents’ views on how any costs incurred by the Standard Tier requirements should be met and how premises currently meet similar obligations under Health and Safety and Fire Safety legislation.

The consultation will run until 18 March 2024 and is available on www.gov.uk. It is open to the public, and is targeted at organisations, businesses, and local and public authorities, and/or individuals who own or operate premises that the proposed Bill would affect. We particularly welcome views from those responsible for the smaller premises which would fall within the Standard Tier, especially those in the community and voluntary sector.

I am looking forward to concluding the consultation process, which will support the Government in finalising the legislation and ensuring it is robust and delivers on its core aims ahead of a formal introduction to Parliament.

A copy of the consultation will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

[HCWS240]

Local Government Finance Settlement 2024-25

Monday 5th February 2024 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Michael Gove)]

Today, I set out the final local government finance settlement for 2024-25. This makes available up to £64.7 billion for local authorities in England, an increase in core spending power of up to £4.5 billion, or 7.5% in cash terms, an above-inflation increase, on 2023-24.

The final settlement follows the consultation on the provisional settlement, which closed on 15 January. Having considered the responses, listened to councils, and received representations from colleagues, on 24 January I announced additional measures for local authorities worth £600 million. This included £500 million of new funding for councils with responsibility for adult and children’s social care, distributed through the social care grant. By making progress on the Government’s plan to halve inflation, grow the economy and reduce debt, we now can provide this extra funding to councils to continue to deliver vital services for their communities. Further details on the exceptional provision of this funding will be set out at the upcoming Budget.

Today I am laying before the House: the “Local Government Finance Report (England) 2024-25”; the “Referendums Relating to Council Tax Increases (Principles) (England) Report 2024-25”; and the “Referendums Relating to Council Tax Increases (Alternative Notional Amounts) (England) Report 2024-2025”. Together, these form the final local government finance settlement for 2024-25.

We received 267 responses to the provisional 2024-25 local government finance settlement consultation, and I am grateful to everyone who took the time to respond. Following the consultation and engagement process on the provisional settlement, we have made the following changes, which ensures a balanced settlement for the sector.

Social care

I am confirming an additional £500 million for social care services, as announced on 24 January. This will be allocated through the social care grant, which is ringfenced for adult and children’s social care. Together with the additional funding proposed at the provisional settlement, local authorities can therefore make use of a total of £8.7 billion in grant funding for social care through the 2024-25 settlement, including £1.5 billion in additional grant compared to 2023-24. This is made up of:

£5 billion through the social care grant, a £1.2 billion increase on 2023-24, including £500 million additional funding as announced on 24 January;

£1.1 billion through the market sustainability and improvement fund, a £123 million increase on 2023-24;

£500 million through the discharge fund, a £200 million increase to the local authority component on 2023-24; and

£2.1 billion through the improved better care fund.

While being mindful of pressures in adult social care, where possible councils should use the uplift to the social care grant to invest in areas that help place children’s social care services on a sustainable financial footing. This includes investment in expanding family help and targeted early intervention, expanding kinship care, and boosting the number of foster carers. The Government are committed to delivering substantive reform to children’s social care. That is why in 2023 we published our strategy for reform, “Stable Homes, Built on Love”, and over these next two years we will lay the foundations for wide-reaching reform across the whole system. The strategy is backed by £200 million of additional investment in the current spending review period, so that we can begin making progress immediately.

Council tax

The Government are committed to continuing to protect local taxpayers from excessive council tax increases. This settlement confirms our intention for referendum principles of up to 3% for core council tax and up to 2% for the adult social care precept in 2024-25. These provisions are not a cap, nor do they force councils to set taxes at the threshold level. When taking decisions on council tax levels, I expect all councillors, Mayors, police and crime commissioners and local councils to take into consideration the pressures many households are facing and the need to control unnecessary and wasteful expenditure. In Wales, the Welsh Labour Government have refused to introduce any referendum protection for council tax payers, leading to soaring council tax. Indeed, under the last Labour Government in England, council tax bills more than doubled.

The Government’s view continues to be that councils that have taken decisions to get themselves in the most severe financial failure should continue to take all reasonable local steps to support recovery including additional council tax increases. Therefore, for the 2024-25 settlement, in consideration of the significant financial failure of Thurrock Council, Slough Borough Council and Woking Borough Council, bespoke council tax referendum principles will apply. For Thurrock Council, Slough Borough Council and Woking Borough Council, a council tax referendum principle of 10% will apply—for Thurrock and Slough, this comprises 2% for expenditure on adult social care, and 8% for other expenditure.

Birmingham City Council has requested flexibility to increase council tax bills by an additional 5%. The Government have expressed ongoing concern about the significant financial mismanagement at the council and have launched a five-year intervention to tackle its serious financial and governance problems. It is disappointing that Birmingham City taxpayers are having to foot the bill for the council’s poor governance and decision making. While the Government will not oppose this request given the seriousness of the circumstances, any decision to increase council tax is solely one for Birmingham City Council, which should have taken into account the pressures that people in Birmingham are currently facing on living costs. The Government are of course conscious of the effect on local taxpayers, particularly those on low incomes, of having to foot part of the bill for these councils’ very significant failings. We have been clear to each of the councils that in implementing any additional increases, they should take steps to mitigate the impact on those least able to pay.

Funding guarantee

I am confirming that, having listened to the requests of local government during the consultation period, and in acknowledgment of the pressures facing all tiers of local government, we are increasing the funding guarantee from 3% to 4%. This means every council in England will receive at least 4% more core spending power, in cash terms, than they did last year, before they have taken any local decisions on council tax.

Rural services delivery grant

I am also confirming that, in response to the consultation feedback and in recognition of the specific challenges and difficulties local councils can face serving rural, sparse populations, we are increasing the rural services delivery grant by £15 million in 2024-25. This is an increase of over 15%, making available a total of £110 million next year. This is the largest cash increase in the rural services delivery grant since 2018-19 and the second successive year of above inflation increases.

Services grant and islands

At the provisional settlement, we announced that the services grant would reduce to £77 million in 2024-25. The Government have noted the concerns raised in the consultation about the proposed reduction, and the calls for clarity on how the reduction has been reallocated within the settlement.

As announced on 24 January, the Government have responded with a funding package worth £600 million for local government, including £500 million of additional funding for social care. The Government’s full response to the consultation has been published today and provides more detail on how the reduction in the services grant has been used to uplift other settlement grants. These decisions have been taken to ensure a balanced settlement for all authorities that reflects our assessment of need.

The Government also intend to bring the final total of the services grant to £87 million—£10 million more than the value consulted on at the provisional settlement. This uplift includes an additional £3 million for the Isle of Wight and £0.15 million for the Isles of Scilly in recognition of the circumstances facing island authorities.

Measures outside of the local government finance settlement

Having listened to authorities which continue to face sustained increases to their internal drainage board levies, we are again providing exceptional funding of £3 million in addition to the settlement to support those experiencing the biggest pressures. We will confirm the distribution of this funding in the coming months when data on projected levy spend becomes available. We will work with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to explore options to implement a long-term solution.

Every authority in England also stands to benefit from increased growth in business rates income, which has generated a surplus in the business rates levy account in 2023-24. I can confirm that £100 million will be returned to the sector on a one-off basis, to be distributed based on each local authority’s 2013-14 settlement funding assessment. I am also announcing today that we will compensate local authorities for the green plant and machinery business rates exemption via grant on a continuing basis until the business rates retention system is reset.

On 19 December 2023, my Department launched a consultation seeking views on options relating to capital flexibilities and borrowing. The aim of this exercise was to explore options for allowing councils greater financial flexibilities to make savings and better manage their own budgets overall. We want to ensure every penny of taxpayer money is well spent and we are considering carefully what proportionate safeguards are needed alongside these measures. This consultation closed on 31 January 2024. I am grateful to all those who took the time to provide views. The Government intend to publish a full response to this consultation in the spring.

Efficiency and reform

I would like to emphasise that this additional funding needs to be used by local authorities to deliver the frontline services on which our communities rely. It should not be put aside for later use, nor spent wastefully. We will therefore continue to monitor the level of local authority reserves. The Government note that while local authority reserves are falling, they remain significantly higher than prior to the pandemic. We continue to encourage local authorities to consider, where possible, the use of their reserves to maintain services in the face of these pressures.

As part of our efforts to return the sector to sustainability in the future, we are also asking local authorities to develop and share productivity plans. These plans will set out how local authorities will improve service performance and reduce wasteful expenditure, for example on consultants or discredited equality, diversity and inclusion programmes. Government will monitor these plans, and funding settlements in future will be informed by performance against these plans.

My Department will work with the local government sector on the approach to producing these plans. The plans should be short and draw on work councils have already done, identifying ways to unlock productivity improvements and setting out the key implementation milestones. Plans should be published by July 2024 before the House rises for the summer recess. They must be agreed by council leaders and members and published on local authority websites, together with updates on progress.

We expect them to cover four main areas:

1) transformation of services to make better use of resources;

2) opportunities to take advantage of advances in technology and make better use of data to inform decision making and service design;

3) ways to reduce wasteful spend within systems, including specific consideration of expenditure on consultants and discredited staff equality, diversity and inclusion programmes—this does not include programmes designed to promote integration and civic pride, and counter extremism; and

4) barriers preventing activity that Government can help to reduce or remove.

Alongside this, we will establish a new productivity review panel, made up of sector experts including the Office for Local Government and the Local Government Association.

The Government are grateful to all those who provided views on the proposal to use levers in local government finance settlements beyond 2024-25 to disincentivise the “four day working week” or equivalent arrangements of part-time work for full-time pay. The Government continue to believe that this reduces the potential capacity to deliver services by up to 20%, and as a result does not deliver value. We will consider responses to this question carefully as part of continuing policy development to deter local government from operating these practices, with any changes at future settlements subject to further consultation.

We are committed to improving the local government finance system beyond this settlement in the next Parliament and the Minister for Local Government—the Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, my hon. Friend the Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare)—will be engaging with the sector over the coming months.

Conclusion

This settlement, and the changes we have made to address concerns raised through the consultation, will provide local authorities with the tools to support their local communities, continue to reform their services for the long-term, and help communities prepare for the future.

This written ministerial statement covers England only. The Barnett formula will apply to this funding in the usual way.

[HCWS241]

Disability Action Plan: Publication

Monday 5th February 2024 Written Statements

[The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (Mims Davies)]

Later today I shall make an oral statement on this subject.

[HCWS242]