Asked by: Richard Ottaway (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much the London Borough of Croydon received in total government grant in the last year; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
In 2014-15, the London Borough of Croydon is forecast to receive £428 million in government grants, excluding mandatory housing benefits, equivalent to £2,877 per dwelling. Including mandatory housing benefits, the forecast is £693 million (source: Revenue Account budget returns). The Greater London Authority also delivers services (police, fire, transport, strategic housing and planning) in Croydon, and is forecast to receive £4.5 billion in government grants in 2014-15, equivalent to £1,311 per dwelling. Taken together, this is equivalent to £4,189 per dwelling in Croydon.
Leaving aside education spending which has changed due to the funding shift from local authorities to academies directly, in 2014-15 Croydon’s net current expenditure excluding education is forecast to be £546 million (source: Revenue Account budget returns). This compares with £490 million in 2009-10 (source: Revenue Outturn returns). This represents an 11 per cent increase in cash terms.
It has been brought to my attention that the Council has put up posters on council-owned billboards asserting: “Government is cutting its funding to you by £100 million over the next three years”. This is factually incorrect, given no decisions have been made on local government funding beyond 2015-16. Moreover, such polemical publicity is not only potentially contrary to the provisions of the local government Publicity Code, but is in itself a waste of money – the Council could be using its advertising space to sell commercial advertising and generate revenue to support frontline services, rather than peddle political messages.
Asked by: Richard Ottaway (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the introduction of selective licensing in relevant areas and the level of private-sector rates; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
Selective licensing allows local authorities to license all privately rented housing in a designated area that suffers from low housing demand and/or significant anti-social behaviour. The Department does not routinely collect information on the number or extent of licensing schemes although local authorities were asked on a one-off voluntary basis to provide this information last year. 194 local authorities responded, of which 14 had introduced licensing. While an assessment of the impact of licensing on private sector rents has not been undertaken, we believe that licensing puts unnecessary extra costs on good landlords, thereby pushing up rents, and reduces choice.
Asked by: Richard Ottaway (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish the conclusions of its review of property conditions in the private rented sector; and whether his Department plans to restrict borough-wide selective licensing schemes.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
We plan to publish an analysis of the replies and proposed next steps, including any decision that may be made on restrictions of borough wide licensing schemes, in the Summer.