Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much additional revenue was raised by rises in council tax, including precepts by Lancaster District Council in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 to date.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
In 2013-14, Lancaster District Council increased their council tax level (including parish precepts) from £204.70 to £209.07. Based on their tax base in 2012-13, this would have raised the district £190,000 in additional council tax revenue. However by increasing their council tax level, they also gave up their Freeze Grant allocation worth £85,000 so their net gain was £105,000.
The table below shows the information above and the additional revenue raised by the County, Fire and Police and Crime Commissioners in Lancaster in 2013-14. The figures for the precepting authorities show the amount of additional council tax raised in Lancaster district and the freeze grant figures are the value of the freeze grant for the proportion of their tax base in Lancaster district.
Additional Council Tax raised in Lancaster in 2013-14 (£)
Council Tax Levels | Additional Council Tax Raised in 2013-14 | Value of Freeze Grant forgone | Value of Freeze Grant received | ||
Authority | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | |||
Lancaster | 204.70 | 209.07 | 190,000 | 85,000 | - |
Additional Council Tax and Freeze Grant forgone by precepting authorities in Lancaster (i.e. the Lancaster share of the Lancashire totals) | |||||
Lancashire County Council | 1108.30 | 1086.13 | - | - | 494,000 |
Lancashire Fire Authority | 63.65 | 63.65 | - | - | 28,000 |
Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable | 149.93 | 152.92 | 130,000 | 67,000 | - |
In 2013-14, Lancashire County Council received a Freeze Grant worth £4.3 million in total and Lancashire Fire received £300,000. While Lancashire Police’s increase in council tax level raised them a total of £1.4 million in additional council tax, they gave up a Freeze Grant allocation worth £706,000, so their net gain was £697,000.
In 2014-15, Lancaster District Council increased their council tax level (including parish precepts) to £213.35. Based on their tax base in 2013-14, this will raise the district £159,000 in additional council tax revenue. However by increasing their council tax level, they also gave up their Freeze Grant allocation worth £92,000 so their net gain was £67,000.
The table below shows the information above and the additional revenue raised by the County, Fire and Police and Crime Commissioners in Lancaster in 2014-15. The figures for the precepting authorities show the amount of additional council tax raised in Lancaster district and the freeze grant figures are the value of the freeze grant for the proportion of their tax base in Lancaster district.
Additional Council Tax raised in Lancaster in 2014-15 (£)
Council Tax Levels | Additional Council Tax raised in 2014-15 | Value of Freeze Grant forgone | Value of Freeze Grant received | ||
Authority | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |||
Lancaster | 209.07 | 213.35 |
159,000 |
92,000 |
- |
Additional Council Tax and Freeze Grant forgone by precepting authorities in Lancaster (i.e. the Lancaster share of the Lancashire totals) | |||||
Lancashire County Council | 1086.13 | 1107.74 | 802,000 | 403,000 | - |
Lancashire Fire Authority | 63.65 | 63.65 | - | - | 24,000 |
Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable | 152.92 | 155.96 | 113,000 | 57,000 |
-
|
In 2014-15, Lancashire County Council’s increase in council tax levels raised them £7.2 million in additional council tax, but they gave up a Council Tax Freeze grant worth £4.3 million, so their net gain was £2.9 million. Lancashire Fire received £305,000 in Council Tax Freeze Grant. Lancashire Police’s increase in council tax level raised them a total of £1.2 million in additional council tax, but they gave up a Freeze Grant allocation worth £706,000 so their net gain was £474,000.
Council Tax Freeze Grant is placed into the baseline: so by not freezing, councils have lost out on ongoing extra funding from central government.
I would add that the ‘gain’ in these cases to the local authority is actually a ‘loss’ to taxpayers: as they are the ones who have to foot the bill for higher taxes. Local authorities’ primary duty is to their local electors. We would encourage every local authority to take up the offer of additional council tax freeze funding available in 2015-16 to help hard-working people with the cost of living.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will investigate the destination of the £9 million spent by Lancaster City Council on the Chatsworth Gardens area of the west end of Morecambe over the last 10 years.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
In 2012, the City Council successfully bid for £1.9 million of funding from our Empty Homes fund to restore and refurbish 114 rundown empty homes in the area. Under the terms of this scheme, the Council will match the funding value (taking the total investment to £3.8 million). I understand that the programme is on course to meet its delivery targets by March 2015. I understand that there is a potential private partnership to help build 92 new homes in the area by 2016.
However, the picture under the last Administration is less clear-cut. In 2004, the Council was awarded £11.9 million of funding to regenerate this area. The development plans then stalled and were scaled down. The Council subsequently returned £4 million of unspent funding to the Homes and Communities Agency. However, the net outcome under the last Administration, was £7.8 million of public spending (offset by just £789,000 of income from property sales) to make just 47 homes structurally safe. Serious questions need to be asked about whether this represents value for money.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what annual budget Lancaster City Council is provided by his Department for the maintenance and security of properties in the Chatsworth Gardens housing project.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Lancaster City Council was awarded £1.9 million in May 2012 to bring 110 empty properties back into use in Morecambe’s West End. Lancaster City Council is responsible for the use of that funding and the assets acquired. Information on the current value of the assets and the annual maintenance budget is not centrally held.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funds from his Department, including legal fees, have been paid by Lancaster City Council for the purchase of privately owned properties in the West End of Morecambe during the Chatsworth Gardens project; and what the current value of these assets is.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Lancaster City Council was awarded £1.9 million in May 2012 to bring 110 empty properties back into use in Morecambe’s West End. Lancaster City Council is responsible for the use of that funding and the assets acquired. Information on the current value of the assets and the annual maintenance budget is not centrally held.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the council tax forgone as a result of houses being purchased by Lancaster City Council for the Chatsworth Gardens project and remaining empty.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Department does not collect data on the level of council tax charged to empty properties by type of owner/occupier.
Unoccupied and substantially unfurnished properties, not entitled to a statutory council tax exemption, will be charged council tax at a level set out in the billing authority determination made under Section 11A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people have (a) bought a home for the first time and (b) made mortgage applications in Lancaster district since 2010.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
My Department does not hold this information.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders does publish some information on the number of first time buyers and mortgage approvals at a national level.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new houses are (a) being built and (b) projected to be built in the next 12 months in Lancaster district.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Quarterly statistics on house building starts and completions up to September 2014 in each local authority district, including Lancaster, are published in the Department's live table 253a
at:
http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
Figures are not available centrally on the projected numbers to be built in Lancaster.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people in Lancaster district live in private rented accommodation.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Department does not hold data on the number of people in privately rented properties by local authority district, including Lancaster. Information is available from the Population Census 2011 and shows the number of households and dwellings in the private rented sector at March 2011. This is available at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/dc4402ew
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?newquery=ct0259
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much additional revenue was raised by rises in council tax, including precepts by Lancashire County Council in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 to date.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
In 2013-14, Lancashire County Council reduced its council tax precept. They received a council tax freeze grant worth £4.3 million a year from the Government, which has been incorporated into the baseline.
In 2014-15, the County Council increased its council tax, raising an additional £7.2 million in revenue. However, they lost out on the offer of £4.3 million a year of council tax freeze grant funding.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
The information is not centrally held in the form requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Funding is generally not allocated by Parliamentary constituency.