Communities and Local Government written question – answered at on 11 December 2006.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many targets her Department sets for local authorities; and what they are.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has set three national targets for local authorities. Details are set out as follows:
By 2007-08, each local authority to achieve total efficiency gains equivalent to 7.5 per cent. of their baseline expenditure in 2004-05;
By 2010, all social housing to meet minimum standards of decency. Details available at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1152190
By 2010, 70 per cent. of vulnerable households in the private sector to live in a decent home.
In addition, a further three targets have been set for fire and rescue authorities:
By 2010, reduce the number of accidental fire-related deaths in the home by 20 per cent.;
By 2010, achieve a 10 per cent. reduction in deliberate fires;
By 2010, no local fire and rescue authority to have a fatality rate, from accidental fires in the home, of more than 1.25 times the national average.
Annual targets are also set for specified local authorities requiring them to process planning applications within a prescribed period of time.
Targets are additionally set through Local Area Agreements (LAAs). These are three-year agreements, based on local community strategies, which set out the priorities for a local area.
There are also a number of floor targets, setting minimum standards that every area should meet, which have been set by central Government as part of each Spending Review since 2000. These floor targets now cover six thematic areas: crime, education, housing, employment, health and liveability, and are designed to help reduce the gap between the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest. Details of these floor targets, showing changes made to the targets and where targets have been rolled over or removed at each Spending Review, are available via the HMT website at the following addresses, and are made available in the Library of the House:
Changes from 2000-02 SR:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./Spending_Review/spend_sr02/psa/spend_sr02psatargets.cfm
Changes from 2002-04 SR:
http://performance.treasury.gov.uk/recontopublishsr02to04.pdf
The local government White Paper, "Strong and Prosperous Communities", published on
Targets will reflect the agreed set of national outcomes and will be set against the approximately 200 national indicators that will be determined through next year's Comprehensive Spending Review.
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