Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Bridgen Excerpts

Monday 8th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I understand the Minister. It is humbling indeed to be praised by someone of the exalted status of the right hon. Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz).

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)]

14. What estimate he has made of the average difference in council tax paid by residents of urban and rural areas.

[The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark)]

The average council tax has long been higher in rural areas than in urban areas. In response to the consultation on the local government financial settlement, several councils and hon. Members have pointed out the extra costs of providing services in rural areas—something that I am determined to address.

[Andrew Bridgen]

Figures from the rural fair share campaign show that those who live in urban areas receive 45% more funding than their rural counterparts, while at the same time those rural residents pay on average £81 more in council tax. Does my right hon. Friend agree that my constituents have every right to feel aggrieved about that inequality? What steps will the Government take to address that issue?

[Greg Clark]

I have been looking carefully at the responses to the consultation on local government finance, including that from Leicestershire, which seems to make a perfectly reasonable point that the essential requirement is that the underlying formula should reflect the different costs of providing services in different places. If my hon. Friend is patient and comes back a little later, I shall have more to say then.