To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding the Government have provided to local authorities to compensate for higher rates of landfill tax and the landfill tax escalator under the New Burdens Principle. (103924)

The landfill tax escalator is revenue neutral to local government as a whole, since the revenue is returned through central Government grant. During Spending Reviews, the Government makes an assessment of the cost to local government of delivering services and targets, including the tax burden, and allocates funding accordingly. Local government is therefore already funded to meet its landfill tax liabilities.