Jo Churchill
Main Page: Jo Churchill (Conservative - Bury St Edmunds)
Greg Clark
The introduction of the precept and of the Better Care Fund will be very important for Liverpool; by the end of the period it will deliver about £30 million a year to spend, quite appropriately, on the care of elderly people in Liverpool. I would have thought the hon. Lady would welcome that. Conservative county council leaders proposed that there should be a social care precept, but it would benefit her city as much as it does them.
Jo Churchill (Bury St Edmunds) (Con)
I thank the Secretary of State for the meeting he held with me and other Suffolk Members to discuss local funding. I know he has worked hard on our behalf, and I cautiously welcome his announcements today, particularly those on additional funding to ease the pace of reduction during those first two years. However, will he inform the House as to when final figures will be given to councils?
Greg Clark
I will indeed. I was grateful for the meeting I had with my hon. Friend, and I am looking forward to the discussions of further devolution to Suffolk for the East Anglian powerhouse or motor—we will coin an apt description for that very high-performing part of the country. The funds will be available right from the beginning of the next financial year and, in the usual way, they will be confirmed to councils following this statement.