Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the diversion rate for the Landfill Communities Fund prior to the introduction of the Spring Budget 2017.

Since its introduction in 1996, the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) has contributed over £1.4 billion to community projects.

The value for money provided by the LCF is assessed in the same manner as all other Government funding.

Despite difficult decisions on spending, at Budget 2017 the Government decided to maintain the value of the LCF at £39.3 million for 2017-18. This means the cap on contributions from landfill operators has increased from 4.2% to 5.3%. The Government expects to maintain this 5.3% cap for future years, but this expectation assumes we see continued progress from environmental bodies in reducing administrative costs and the level of unspent funds.