Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department provided to billing authorities for council tax support schemes in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government provided £3.3 billion to local authorities for localised council tax support in 2013-14 and has made available the same amount in 2014-15.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the reason is for the time taken to make a decision on the Rushden Lakes development; and when he plans to announce that decision.
Answered by Nick Boles
The Secretary of State issued his decision on this case on 11 June. He has decided to grant planning permission for this development. A copy of the decision letter and the Inspector's report has been sent to the hon. Member and to other interested parties, and these documents are available on the GOV.UK website at:
https://www.gov.uk/planning-applications-called-in-decisions-and-recovered-appeals
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the spending power is for (a) Wokingham Council and (b) Newcastle upon Tyne City Council in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
[Holding Reply: Thursday 1 May 2014]
Spending power figures by local authority are published as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, which is laid before the House each year. This information is also reasonably accessible to the hon. Member on my Department's website at:
www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2014-to-2015 (2014-15 and provisional 2015-16)
www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/settle.htm (2013-14)
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to announce the allocation of additional support to local authorities in England to support corporate counter-fraud activity.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
We are currently working with a range of representatives from across the sector to identify the most effective mechanism for distributing the £16.6 million over 2014/15 – 2015/16 across local government to help local government combat fraud. We intend to make an announcement about our plans for this investment later in the spring.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the financial effect on local authorities when the single tier state pension is introduced in 2016-17 and local authorities no longer receive a national insurance rebate from the contracting out of pensions.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Government is currently in discussions with the Local Government Association on this matter.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government Response to Lord Heseltine's report No Stone Unturned: in Pursuit of Growth, when he expects to publish a draft legislative reform order to ensure that the current legislation on combined authorities is fit for purpose.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
As I told the House on 18 March 2014, Official Report, Column 704, and as my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles) indicated on 3 March 2014, Official Report, Column 621, we are minded to amend legislation to allow councils that do not share the same boundaries to join a combined authority, if they wish. This change can be delivered through a Legislative Reform Order, subject to statutory consultation and approval of Parliament.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on measures to allow town and parish councils to send agendas electronically.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Schedule 12 of the Local Government Act 1972 requires local authorities (both principal and parish councils) to send summonses to attend meetings by post. Reflecting the take-up of digital communications, Ministers are minded to issue an Order under Section 8 of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 to facilitate this being done electronically; although we do believe that councillors should continue to have a right to receive communications in hard copy by post should they wish, and that this should be reflected in any legislative change.
We will be undertaking an informal sounding shortly on the wording of any draft Order with key partners, including the Local Government Association and the National Association of Local Councils.