Clause 36 - Best value grant: parishes
Local Government Bill
9:45 am
Mr Robert Syms (Poole, Conservative)
I want to flesh the clause out in more detail. When I was a rural county councillor with 6,000 or 7,000 electors, I had some 11 parishes in my area. Can the Minister tell us whether a grant of £30,000 per year is open to any parish, of whatever size? Does that just relate to town councils in areas in which parish councils turn themselves into town councils? I notice that the grant is of £30,000 per year, not up to £30,000 per year. Is that a standard block grant that would not be varied if the council hit a particular target? Can the Minister give me a definition of size, an idea of how many councils qualify and some more detail as to what would be expected from a parish council in order for it to qualify for the £30,000 grant?