Local Government Finance

Debate between Daniel Kawczynski and Brandon Lewis

Wednesday 12th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Brandon Lewis]

My hon. Friend tempts me away from the local government finance settlement. The Government look at such things, but the fund currently has a threshold of about £3.7 billion, and the Government would have to pay back the majority of what we got because of the way the mechanism works.

[Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)]

Further to the point made by the hon. Member for St Ives (Andrew George), will the Minister give us a guarantee that in the longer term he will grapple with the issue of funding for rural areas? Shropshire is the largest land-locked county in England, and providing services in such large areas inextricably costs more.

[Brandon Lewis]

My hon. Friend makes his case strongly, as ever.