To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with what frequency local authorities are required to conduct place surveys, broken down by authority (a) type and (b) tier; and what estimate she has made of the average cost of a survey to a local authority. (245988)

The place survey will be conducted once every two years in every local authority area in England, regardless of authority type or tier. Fieldwork for the 2008 place survey took place between September and December 2008. The next place survey is therefore due to take place in the autumn of 2010.

Further information, including the timetable for the place survey, can be found at the Communities and Local Government website:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/local government/placesurveymanual0809.

The latest estimate of the cost to a local authority of conducting a single years place survey puts the figure at £15,000. This estimate takes into account a range of costs related to survey administration including staffing, printing and postage costs.