Rishi Sunak: The Government recognises the importance of public toilets as a valuable community amenity and has encouraged local authorities to keep them open to the public. We will keep under review the need for any further action to support local authorities in doing so.
Rishi Sunak: This information will be set out in the Department’s 2017-18 Resource Accounts and Annual Report, which we expect to publish in late June, or early July.
Housing, Communities and Local Government: Business rate retention.
Witnesses: Rishi Sunak MP, Minister for Local Government, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Rishi Sunak: The Department does not hold information about business rates yield by type of property.
Rishi Sunak: The Department does not collect the information requested. The Local Government Finance Act 1992 requires all billing authorities in England to develop their own schemes to provide council tax support to local residents.
Rishi Sunak: The distribution of local council tax support is a matter for local authorities and we do not currently intend to conduct research on the design or impacts of local schemes. However, councils conduct equality impact assessments when designing their schemes each year and also consult local residents and take their views into account.
Rishi Sunak: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not collect data on the number of local authorities offering full council tax relief to working-age applicants. There are currently 2.4 million working-age claimants in receipt of a reduced council tax bill across England.
Rishi Sunak: The Secretary of State is not seeking to amend retrospectively the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.
Rishi Sunak: My officials regularly meet with officers from Dorset councils and whilst our records show we had such a meeting in June 2016, we have no notes of that meeting.
Rishi Sunak: No guidance has been issued to Dorset Councils under the provisions of section 3(5)(b) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.
Rishi Sunak: The administration of council tax, including the premium on long-term empty properties, is the responsibility of local government. Local authorities have their own inspection and enforcement regimes in order to satisfy themselves as to whether a property should be subject to a premium.
Rishi Sunak: Local authorities have powers to tackle empty homes through the council tax empty homes premium and Empty Dwelling Management Orders. Local authorities can already use data collected for the purposes of council tax administration to assist with making effective use of these powers.
Rishi Sunak: The 2018 Regulations contain no provisions which have retrospective effect.
Rishi Sunak: Officials in my Department have worked closely with Dorset councils, since the Secretary of State's statement, HCWS486, on 26 February 2018, to take forward the implementation of unitarisation in Dorset.
Rishi Sunak: The evidence for the savings, including the baseline assumptions and timings, is the material submitted by Dorset Councils, including the reports by Local Partnerships and PWC, available from www.futuredorset.co.uk and the representations made in January 2018 which I have placed in the Library of the House in response to my Hon Friend’s Question UIN 129890.
Rishi Sunak: Neither Ministers nor officials give legal advice to councils as to their powers. With regard to his legal authority, the Secretary of State has statutory powers under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, and inherent non-statutory powers to consider proposals made by local authorities.
Lucy Frazer: My hon. Friend makes a valid point, as has his neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Rishi Sunak). I have met them both and the police and crime commissioner for the area. It is important to consider the appropriateness of pilots for mobile technology, and we will do so.
Rishi Sunak: No amendments to the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 which have a retrospective effect are proposed.
Rishi Sunak: Local government will have access to more than £45 billion in core spending power in this financial year. In addition, local authorities estimate that they will keep around £2.4 billion in business rates growth.
Rishi Sunak: Through the social care precept, the spring Budget last year and the recent local government finance settlement, councils will have access to £9.4 billion in dedicated funding for adult social care over the three years 2017 to 2020.