To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's estimate is of the revenue from (a) parish and (b) town council precepts on council tax in each year since 1997-98. (115038)

The total amounts of local precepts issued for each financial year since 1997-98 are shown in the following table. The figures represent the amounts issued by local precepting authorities, or anticipated by the relevant billing authority. Local precepting authorities comprise parish and town councils and similar bodies, such as parish meetings and charter trustees. The information collected by the Department is not detailed enough to allow amounts precepted by parish councils and by town councils to be separately identified. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.