Written question asked by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Wednesday, 25 April 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 30 April 2012. It was answered by Robert Neill (Conservative) on Monday, 30 April 2012 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Local Government Finance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will use the Office for National Statistics provisional mid-year population estimates published in 2011 when assessing local authority baselines in respect of the 2013-14 local government settlement.

Answer: We intend to update all datasets for use in the calculation of the 2013-14 business rates retention baseline, where updates are available. This includes the population figures.We do not intend to use the indicative 2010 mid-year population estimates, published by ONS in November 2011.Instead we plan to consult on whether to use either the 2011 mid-year estimates or the census-based population projections in calculating the baseline, subject to them being available in the autumn when decisions need to be made.

Secondary information