Local Government Finance

Peter Heaton-Jones Excerpts

Monday 8th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Peter Heaton-Jones (North Devon) (Con)]

As it apparently falls to me to do the finale, I say well done and thank you to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. I and many colleagues from across the south-west and from rural constituencies lobbied pretty hard, and we thank him very much for listening. We await the final figures. He might well be able to provide the figure for North Devon shortly—if I speak slowly enough. [Interruption.] Marvellous. However, does he agree that it is important that we never again find ourselves in a position where rural areas face discrepancies and unfairness compared with urban areas?

[Greg Clark]

I am very grateful to my hon. Friend. He may be last, but Devon is certainly not least—it is a very important part of the country. His patience is rewarded: the funding that Devon will receive from the Government next year is £8.4 million, which will make a big difference to his area. North Devon will receive around £250,000 for its district council services. The opportunity to take a long, hard look at the resources that areas have, the costs they incur and the demands they have on their services is long overdue. I know that my hon. Friend’s county and his district will play a full part in that review, and I dare say he will too.