Results 1-20 of 4,249 for in the 'Written Answers' speaker:Eric Pickles

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Green Belt (18 March 2013)

Eric Pickles: We have previously made absolutely clear that traveller sites are inappropriate development in the green belt. I can confirm to the House that we will be enabling councils to use Temporary Stop Notices to take swift and effective action against unauthorised caravans in the green belt and elsewhere. This builds on our earlier reforms to strengthen councils' enforcement powers, ensuring fair...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Greater London Authority (30 April 2012)

Eric Pickles: The Greater London authority precept appearing on council tax bills increased year on year between 2000-01 and 2008-09 and more than doubled over that period. The precept was then frozen in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 and has been reduced by 1% in the current year to stand at £306.72.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Council Tax (30 April 2012)

Eric Pickles: Somerset has the lowest council tax; however, a separate fire precept is charged on top. Northamptonshire county council is the second lowest, and provides fire services within its county precept. It could thus be argued that Northamptonshire taxpayers enjoy the lowest council tax of all the counties.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Unauthorised Development (30 April 2012)

Eric Pickles: The Localism Act has given councils more powers to tackle unauthorised development, including the abuse of retrospective planning permission. These powers are now in effect. Councils also have new powers under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act to use bye-laws to remove unauthorised encampments. We are reviewing what further steps can be taken to increase council powers to tackle...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Council Tax (12 March 2012)

Eric Pickles: Under the last Government, council tax more than doubled. This Government are working with councils to freeze council tax for two years. A recent survey by CIPFA indicates that council tax bills this April will only change by 0.3%. This is a real-terms tax cut for hard-working families and pensioners. The final out-turn figures will be published by my Department later this month.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Tottenham Regeneration (5 December 2011)

Eric Pickles: We are providing £20 million for the Mayor to support the regeneration of Tottenham and Croydon through the London Enterprise Fund. The Mayor will be making an announcement about the use of this funding, together with additional funding from the Greater London Authority, in the new year. Funding from the Riot Recovery Scheme and High Street Support funding have also been made available.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Government Procurement Card (5 December 2011)

Eric Pickles: We have opened up these taxpayer-funded corporate credit cards to the sunlight of transparency. My Department has published details of every single transaction from the beginning of 2011 back to 2006. That openness has helped us identify waste and inefficiency, saving taxpayers’ money.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Local Government Resources Review (20 June 2011)

Eric Pickles: Since the publication of the terms of reference on 17 March 2011, the local government resource review has been considering options on how to allow local authorities to keep at least a proportion of business rates, and how to introduce powers to allow them to carry out tax increment financing. The review has held a number of meetings with partners in local government and with businesses and...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Local Authority Pay (4 April 2011)

Eric Pickles: Representations have been received from Members of Parliament, leaders of local authorities, trade union branches and the members of the public. Although a matter for individual councils, we expect restraint and leadership to be shown locally when setting senior pay. We have introduced measures in the Localism Bill to increase local democratic accountability for decisions on senior pay. We...

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Non-departmental Public Bodies (28 February 2011)

Eric Pickles: I have already closed four of my Department's arms length bodies and have put a programme of reform in place which will see another 12 either closed or transferred to the private or voluntary sector by 2012. These were set out in the Government's Public Bodies Review published on 14 October last year.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Local Authority Spending Details: Online Publication (17 January 2011)

Eric Pickles: Our latest assessment is that at least 193 local authorities are publishing their spending data online.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Regulatory Burden (17 January 2011)

Eric Pickles: This Government are committed to radically reducing the burden of regulation on local government. We have already freed councils from the top down controls of comprehensive area assessment and local area agreement targets. The Localism Bill will go further, scrapping regional strategies and housing targets, the Standards Board regime, and the duty to promote local democracy.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Local Authority Expenditure: Online Publication (21 October 2010)

Eric Pickles: All local authorities should be publishing this information from January 2011. I am pleased with the response from local government with nearly 80 councils now publishing information and welcome the support from the LGA in driving this agenda forward. Given the importance for citizens and communities I will continue to challenge and support those authorities yet to do so.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Local Authorities: Administrative Burden (21 October 2010)

Eric Pickles: Last week I scrapped the National Indicator Set and handed control of more than 4,700 Whitehall targets to councils and their voters, to keep or not as they see fit. This is on top of my previous decision to scrap the Comprehensive Area Assessment and my continuing work with councils and others to identify excessive legislation and needless bureaucracy.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Garden Development (10 June 2010)

Eric Pickles: We yesterday implemented our coalition agreement to give powers to local authorities to prevent overdevelopment and 'garden grabbing', by removing gardens from the definition of brownfield land and removing the top down density target. These changes will give power back to local authorities to take decisions that are right for their areas.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Travellers (10 June 2010)

Eric Pickles: The number of caravans on unauthorised developments has increased from 887 in 1997 to 2,395 in 2010-an increase of 170% over 10 years.

Written Answers — Electoral Commission Committee: Postal Votes (10 February 2010)

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what recent estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the average proportion of returned postal votes sent back to local authorities within 24 hours of close of poll in each of the last five years.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Audit Commission (10 February 2010)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 December 2009, Official Report, column 1261W, on the Audit Commission: procurement, how much the Audit Commission has spent on Roleplay UK in the last 36 months; and on what dates.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Audit Commission (9 February 2010)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in what locations the Audit Commission held away days for its staff in the last 36-months outside its premises; and at what cost in each case.

Written Answers — Communities and Local Government: Audit Commission (9 February 2010)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which body (a) inspects, (b) audits and (c) oversees complaints in relation to the Audit Commission.