Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Anne-Marie Trevelyan and James Brokenshire(6 years, 8 months ago)
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Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (Con)
James Brokenshire
My hon. Friend makes a powerful and important point. I commend her for the work she has done to champion the military covenant, which every local authority has signed. The Minister for Defence People and Veterans and my Department have just written to councils, to encourage them to have a covenant champion. It is through such practical measures that we want to ensure that the covenant pledges are upheld.
Local Government Funding Settlement
Debate between Anne-Marie Trevelyan and James Brokenshire(7 years, 2 months ago)
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James Brokenshire
I am always sorry to disappoint the hon. Lady, but I will have to do so on that point. However, I can highlight the £3.5 million additional funding from 2018-19 to 2019-20 for Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority. Therefore, we do take account of the differentials in council tax and how grant is applied, and that is very firmly recognised and understood within the system.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (Con)
Will the Secretary of State confirm that my constituents in Northumberland will benefit from the increases in the rural services delivery grant, which is a most welcome recognition of the rurality challenges with which our public services have to deal across my vast and very sparsely populated constituency?
James Brokenshire
As I have indicated, we acknowledge some of the real pressures within rural areas—some of the additional costs that come through from that—through the rural services delivery grant. We also acknowledge those pressures through the business rates retention pilot, which I am sure will be of assistance in my hon. Friend’s area.