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Designated Growth Areas

Answer

The answer to question reference 31849 referred to two forms of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's (ODPM) funding, namely Growth Areas funding and local government funding.Growth Areas funding is being made available to support housing growth within the Growth Areas (including Thames Gateway). The £1.25 billion to be made available up to and including 2007–08 is based on the results of successive rounds of bidding and is not subject to further evidence on population growth.Local government funding allocations for 2006–07 and 2007–08 are currently being consulted upon. This years assessment takes account of population projections as this allows the 2006–07 and 2007–08 settlements to be more forward looking. Previously settlements have been based on the latest available mid-year estimates as the dominant drivers. This change should provide more support for areas experiencing rapid population growth. The population projections are prepared by the Office for National Statistics using a trend-based methodology which projects forward the population (using 2003 mid-year population estimates as the starting point) into the future.ODPM spending decisions for 2008–09 onwards are subject to future Spending Reviews. In its December 2005 response to Kate Barker's Review of Housing Supply, the Government announced that as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review it would undertake a cross-cutting review to:"““determine the social, transport and environmental infrastructure implications of housing growth in different spatial forms and locations;""establish a framework for sustainable and cost-effective patterns of growth, including by examining the use of targeted investment through the Community Infrastructure Fund and Growth Areas funding to support the fastest-growing areas; and""ensure that departmental resources across government are targeted appropriately for providing the national, regional and local infrastructure necessary to support future housing and population growth.””"The cross-cutting review provides an opportunity for evidence of the funding needs experienced by Growth Areas as a result of rapid housing growth to be taken into account in future spending decisions of ODPM and other Departments.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

37946; 440 c2561W

Session

2005-06

Related items

Designated Growth Areas
Thursday, 8 December 2005
Written questions
House of Commons

Subjects

Construction Capital investment Housing Infrastructure

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk