All 1 Debates between Clive Jones and Jim McMahon

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Clive Jones and Jim McMahon
Monday 2nd September 2024

(3 months, 1 week ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Jim McMahon Portrait Jim McMahon
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

The English devolution Bill is a landmark piece of legislation that will finally address the imbalance of power between this place and communities up and down the country, but it is not in itself the answer. We know that the financial foundations on which it rests are local authorities, which are struggling. That is why we are committed to multi-year funding settlements and fair funding.

Clive Jones Portrait Clive Jones
- View Speech - Hansard - -

I understand that there will be a major review of local government funding next year. I represent Wokingham, whose council is the lowest-funded unitary authority per head in the country. Will the review look at the actual needs and costs faced by local authorities, as opposed to the current methodology of allocating funding, which is based on historical data and is disproportionately skewed by simplistic measures of deprivation?

Jim McMahon Portrait Jim McMahon
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

Any fair funding formula of course has to address the range of challenges that local authorities face, whether that is their local tax base, and how much they can realistically generate from their local communities and businesses, or the cost of service delivery and the demand within a local community. We will ensure that the fair funding formula, of which multi-year settlements are a part, is done with that rigour.