Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations from (1) county councils, (2) London boroughs, and (3) metropolitan boroughs, unitary authorities and district councils, were received between 17 December 2015 and 8 February 2016 regarding the Local Government Finance Settlement, and what assessment they have made of the extent to which the final settlement meets the concerns raised in each case.

The consultation on the provisional local government finance settlement ran from 17 December 2015 to 15 January 2016. During this period, the Government received 278 responses, including 89 from shire districts, 36 from unitary authorities, 28 from metropolitan districts, 26 from shire counties, and 25 from London boroughs. A detailed summary of all responses (attached) are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/499283/Summary_of_responses_to_provisional_LGFS_consultation.pdf

The Government listened closely to concerns raised and considered all representations carefully when determining the final settlement. For the financial year ahead, the final settlement provides councils with at least the resources allocated to them by the provisional settlement. In addition, transitional funding will be provided for the first two years of the Spending Review period.