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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22384 on Local Government Finance: Services, if she will publish the (a) cash and (b) percentage change in central government grants for each of the rural/urban classifications.

This government is committed to tackling the issues that matter to rural communities. Places with a significant rural population (encompassing both authorities classed as predominantly Rural, and Urban with Significant Rural) will on average receive around a 5% increase in their Core Spending Power next year, which is a real terms increase.

Core Spending Power measures the core revenue funding available for local authority services through the local government finance settlement. Core Spending Power is the government’s chosen measure of resources because it gives a consistent measure of resources available to any local authority across revenue grant funding made available through the settlement, locally retained business rates and council tax.

Further information on the provisional local government finance settlement, including tables with local authority Rural/Urban classifications can be accessed via the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-spending-power-table-provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2025-to-2026 and Key information table for local authorities: provisional local government finance settlement 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.

These tables will be updated following the final local government finance settlement.