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Local Government Finance

Volume 495: debated on Tuesday 7 July 2009

15. To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will enable local authorities to finance expenditure from their projected future efficiency savings. (284353)

Local authorities can already finance expenditure from projected future efficiency savings provided they are satisfied the expenditure falls within the terms of the Prudential system. This allows local authorities to borrow for any capital expenditure without Government consent, provided that they can afford the borrowing costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of the funding allocated to his Department was allocated to local authorities in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. (283995)

The following tables give the amounts and proportions of my Department’s funding to local authorities in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Main programme, departmental expenditure limit (DEL)

All figures (£ million)

Financial years

Communities and local government DEL

Of which: funding to local authorities

Proportion of funding to local authorities (percentage)

2008-09

11,412

5,339

47

2009-10

12,895

5,726

44

Note:

Figures exclude administration costs

Local government, departmental expenditure limit (DEL)

All figures (£ million)

Financial years

Local government DEL

Of which: funding to local authorities

Proportion of funding to local authorities (percentage)

2008-09

24,913

24,568

99

2009-10

25,737

25,506

99

Note:

Proportion of funding allocated to local authorities in 2008-09 are outturn figures for both main and local government departmental expenditure limits.