Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Grant Shapps and Andrew Turner

Monday 17th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight) (Con)]

12. What support his Department is giving to local authorities to minimise increases in council tax.

[The Minister for Housing and Local Government (Grant Shapps)]

The Government are making an extra £650 million per annum available over the next four years to help principal local authorities in England to freeze their council tax in 2011-12, and will take action against excessive increases. The Localism Bill provides for local referendums on excessive council tax rises in future years.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Turner]

What can be done to stop local authorities withdrawing services, such as libraries and lavatories, and expecting town and parish councils to take them over, thereby increasing the local precept? People will not benefit from the Government’s support to protect them from council tax bills rising if the local precept rises instead.

[Grant Shapps]

My hon. Friend makes a valid point. Unless an authority has already merged its human resources, legal services and planning departments and cut the chief executive pay that Opposition Members are so keen to defend, there is no excuse for trying to charge more for those services, or indeed, as my hon. Friend points out, for trying to shove them off on to, perhaps, parish councils.