Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which Department the new counter-extremism centre of excellence will sit under.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The new counter-extremism centre of excellence will be housed within the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
DLUHC is working with the Home Office, as well as several other Government departments, to tackle extremism head-on. The new centre of excellence will act as a world-leading authority on best practice, data and research and provide leadership for departments’ operationalisation and implementation of the new extremism definition, cross-government standards and extremism-related due diligence process. It will also become home to new counter-extremism assessment and analytical functions and capabilities.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the new counter-extremism centre of excellence will take to collaborate with the (a) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and (b) Home Office on existing counter terrorism (i) programmes and (ii) operations.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The new counter-extremism centre of excellence will be housed within the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
DLUHC is working with the Home Office, as well as several other Government departments, to tackle extremism head-on. The new centre of excellence will act as a world-leading authority on best practice, data and research and provide leadership for departments’ operationalisation and implementation of the new extremism definition, cross-government standards and extremism-related due diligence process. It will also become home to new counter-extremism assessment and analytical functions and capabilities.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is making provisions for the council tax rebate to be given to people living in business-provided living accommodation.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The rebate is available to occupants of property in council tax bands A – D who are liable for council tax. This includes those in business-provided living accommodation. If the council tax bill is usually paid by the employer on the occupant’s behalf, the council will contact the occupant to arrange a payment method. Anyone not eligible for the rebate but in financial hardship can apply to their local council’s discretionary fund for support.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the resumption of the Fair Funding Review.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government announced last year that it would not proceed with the implementation of the Review of Relative Needs and Resources (formerly the Fair Funding Review) and 75% Business Rates Retention in 2021-22. This decision was broadly welcomed by the sector as it has allowed both the government and councils to focus on meeting the immediate public health challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once the pandemic is through, we will take stock of the demands faced by councils and the resources available to meet them and will decide on the timetable for future funding reform. Final decisions will be taken in the context of the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what metrics his Department uses to assess the efficiency and value-for-money of local government spending.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Department uses a wide range of qualitative and quantitative information to assist with policy making.
All local authorities are required by law to deliver a balanced budget and secure value for money in spending decisions. The “best value duty” (Local Government Act 1999) requires continuous improvement, combining economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
Local authorities are also required to publish annual accounts which must be certified by independent auditors. The Redmond Review recommends a new, simple to understand Value for Money Statement to improve accessibility to taxpayers and to ensure local authority decisions can be properly scrutinised by the electorate.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including factors relating to the efficiency of local Government spending in any funding review.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is committed to directing resources to the highest priority areas and giving councils increased flexibility in balancing the contribution of national and local taxpayers in funding local services. Within the time horizons of a one-year Spending Review, our aim has also been to offer as much stability as we can through our approach to funding allocations for 2021-22.
Looking beyond 2021-22, we will revisit the priorities for financial reform ahead of the Spending Review later this year. When we re-examine the reform programme, we will consider the relative needs of local authorities, the resources local authorities are able to generate locally, and how we can encourage local authorities to run services efficiently.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing incentive structures in central government funding allocations to local authorities to encourage efficiency in the provision of local services.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is committed to directing resources to the highest priority areas and giving councils increased flexibility in balancing the contribution of national and local taxpayers in funding local services. Within the time horizons of a one-year Spending Review, our aim has also been to offer as much stability as we can through our approach to funding allocations for 2021-22.
Looking beyond 2021-22, we will revisit the priorities for financial reform ahead of the Spending Review later this year. When we re-examine the reform programme, we will consider the relative needs of local authorities, the resources local authorities are able to generate locally, and how we can encourage local authorities to run services efficiently.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a legal requirement for religious institutions to publicly declare (a) donations and (b) overseas funding.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Faith-based organisations and faith-based giving play an important role in our society. Their contributions play an integral role in supporting our most vulnerable in communities and tackling a number of social challenges.
Faith-based Institutions and organisations registered as a charity (with an income of over £25,000) and as other not for profit entities, either through the Charity Commission or Companies House, are required to produce and submit annual returns, reports and accounts to their relevant regulatory body. All returns, reports and accounts required by law must be made available on request by the registering body or is made accessible via a public register.
Some religious charities are ‘excepted’ from charity registration and are not required to register or submit annual returns. They are still charities, and are subject to charity law.
This government encourages greater transparency across the charity sector as a matter of good practice and it is our assessment that the current level of legal transparency, regarding sources of funding for charities, is appropriate. It is right that charities are not legally required to publicly disclose the identity of individual donors because donor anonymity can be an important factor in giving people the confidence to donate to charitable causes they care about.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Fair Funding Review includes consideration of rural indicators.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is undertaking a review of the relative needs and resources of local authorities in England. We are working closely with local government representatives and others to examine all of the available evidence for the costs faced by authorities. This includes how factors such as rurality, sparsity and other geographical features affect the cost of delivering services across the country, and how to account for these in a robust manner.
Our aim is to consult on all aspects of the review in the Spring, and implement the review in 2021-22.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
What steps he is taking to ensure the equity of local government funding in order to tackle rural disadvantage.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government takes funding for rural communities very seriously. Our Fair Funding Review will take a robust, evidence-based approach to assessing the costs of delivering services in all areas.