Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and Greg Clark(8 years, 9 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Greg Clark
It is a long-established fact that Conservative councils offer lower council tax than Labour councils, which accounts for their success and their majority in local government.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds) (Con)
Can my right hon. Friend say whether the gap between urban and rural authorities is widening? If it is widening in favour of urban authorities, will not the council tax payers in rural authorities, who are going to see their council tax rise considerably over the next three years, have to conclude that they are subsidising higher-spending urban authorities?
Greg Clark
My hon. Friend knows that we are moving to a world in which councils will be funded by council tax and business rates. It is essential that the formula underpinning that is fair to all types of authority. That has been very clear in representations that he and others have made.