Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Andy Slaughter and Mary Glindon
Mr Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) (Lab)
4. What recent assessment he has made of the effects of reductions in central Government funding for local authorities on levels of local authority service provision.
Mrs Mary Glindon (North Tyneside) (Lab)
13. What recent assessment he has made of the effects of reductions in central Government funding for local authorities on levels of charges for local authority services.
The Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark)
I can tell the House that I have made a new assessment of the consequences for local authorities of paying down the deficit. Currently, the average reduction in spending power for councils this year is 4.4%. However, if VAT were reduced, as per a recent suggestion, the £13 billion a year needed to pay for it would require the average cut in council spending to be 29.1%. In my view, that would be to go too far and too fast.