I refer to the reply to Question Nos. 46 and 48 on today’s order paper which set out the position with regard to the general issue of local government reform.
On the question of funding for additional local authority services the distribution of such funding is a matter for individual local authorities who must decide on priorities for their own areas. In relation to commercial rates local authorities have been asked by my Department to continue to strive for reductions in commercial rates and other local charges in 2016. Authorities have responded well to such requests in recent years with a decrease in average Annual Rate on Valuation from 2010 to 2014. Figures for 2015 and 2016 are not directly comparable with previous years due to the unification of town and borough councils into single local authority structures which were accompanied by a statutory requirement for those authorities to harmonise the rates which previously applied in town councils.