Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what figures his Department holds on the amount spent by local authorities in England on helping to set up new business co-operatives.

The Government recognises the value of co-operatives. It is clear they offer a different way of running a business, supporting the needs of their members and their local communities.

HMT does not hold any data regarding the amount spent by local authorities in England on helping to set up new business co-operatives. Local authorities in England have significant freedoms to choose what investments to make and how to finance them.