Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Heather Wheeler and Emma Hardy(5 years, 6 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mrs Wheeler
I am absolutely delighted that the hon. Gentleman has brought up that question, because, frankly, the answer is yes. We want councils to get on with building, which is why we have taken the cap off the housing revenue accounts. We expect at least 10,000 new council houses to be built, so I suggest that Luton gets on with it.
Emma Hardy (Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle) (Lab)
For any type of housing—council housing or private housing—to be built, we need to look at changing the rules around land banking. The Minister is aware that, in a Westminster Hall debate last week, I raised the problems that we have with a particular developer in Hull who is storing up different areas of land and preventing them from being developed. Will the Minister please meet me to discuss this problem in more detail and look at what legislative tweaks can be made to prevent this from happening?
Mrs Wheeler
The hon. Lady, as ever, puts her case terribly well. The appropriate Minister would be delighted to meet her.
Local Authority Financial Sustainability: NAO Report
Debate between Heather Wheeler and Emma Hardy(6 years, 9 months ago)
Westminster HallRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
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Mrs Wheeler
No, I am going to carry on. As I said, alongside the new methodology, the Government are committed to giving local authorities greater control over the money they raise, which we are doing through our plans for increasing business rates retention. Local authorities are the engines of local growth. They know best the levers to pull to boost their business rates, which is why business rates retention is an important move. Our aim is for local authorities to retain 75% of business rates from 2020-21, with the other 25% going to councils that do not have a large business rates take.
Emma Hardy
On that point, if I am not able to make the point that I was going to make previously, I want to ask this: will the system make allowances for councils such as Hull? Currently, 81% of its income comes from the Government revenue grant and only 19% can be raised locally.
Mrs Wheeler
Yes, indeed. Forgive me for repeating myself, Mr Evans: 25% will go to the councils that do not have large business rates retention.
Emma Hardy
The Minister says 25%. Hull City Council currently relies on the Government revenue grant for 81% of its income, not 75%.
Mrs Wheeler
The business rates for the City of London are many, many millions of pounds. The money that is split out goes to the rest of the country.