Clause 1 — Local retention of non-domestic rates

Part of Local Government Finance Bill – in the House of Commons at 3:18 pm on 18 January 2012.

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Photo of Bob Neill Bob Neill The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 3:18, 18 January 2012

I agree with my hon. Friend Annette Brooke. It is important that we move forward. Helen Jones is right. The affirmative procedure will apply to the matters that come under the Bill. It is worth saying that the degree of transparency on the one hand and fairness on the other is governed by, for example, the changes to the central and local share split, which will come through shortly, and the operation of the tariffs and top-ups. Those will be included in the local government finance report, and that too will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny in the usual way each year, so it is a clear and transparent system.