Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any parts of North Cornwall constituency will receive funding from the Recovery Grant announced by her Department on 28 November 2024; and what additional steps she is taking to tackle rural poverty in that constituency.

The government published a policy statement on 28 November 2024 that confirmed that local government will receive an around 3.2% real-terms increase overall in Core Spending Power as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement 2025-26. Places with a significant rural population will on average increase of around 5%.

We are also introducing a new ‘Recovery Grant’, worth £600 million, distributed using a formula that is based on deprivation and council tax base. This will start to correct the unfairness of the current system by putting councils in the areas with greater need and demand for services on a more stable footing. This grant marks the first meaningful step towards preparing for reform that has been taken in over a decade.

We will set out more detail at the provisional Settlement in December where we will consult on allocations for 2025-26, alongside launching a consultation on the objectives and principles of local government funding reform.