Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) it remains her Department's policy to retain the social care precept on council tax and (b) past social care precepts will continue to be ring-fenced; and what plans she has to increase the threshold above which a council tax referendum must be held.

The Government is committed to keeping taxes on working people as low as possible. Future decisions on council tax will be taken at the spending review in which we are fully engaged.