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Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Answer

Mr. Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly to the locations as possible, the effects of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997 on (a) Hemsworth constituency and (b) Wakefield district. [153000] Ms Beverley Hughes: The principal kinds of funding that this Department has provided to Wakefield local authority in the year's 1997-98 to 2001-02 are shown in the table. These include grants and borrowing approvals for revenue and capital expenditure. It is not possible to determine how much of this money has been spent on the Hemsworth constituency. It is for the local authority to decide where within its boundary these resources are applied. £ million _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Nature of funding 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02{ 1} Revenue Support Grant 105.616 113.327 121.378 117.791 126.779 Income from National 69.240 72.239 78.291 88.749 86.879 Non-Domestic Rates Housing Investment {2}6.812 5.541 6.302 {3}14.711 {4}22.429 Programme Capital Receipts Initiative 1.227 4.153 4.272 n/a n/a SRB Funding 2.33 2.14 3.39 3.92 2.82 Neighbourhood Renewal -- -- -- -- {5}9.990 Funding (award date) Transport Supplementary 0.721 0.702 0.876 0 0 Grant Transport Annual Capital 0.721 0.702 0.876 0 0 Guideline Transport Block 1.104 1.086 1.130 4.608 {6}-- Supplementary Credit Approval _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} Where known Notes: Housing Investment Programme {2} 1997-98 HIP allocation inherited from the previous Government's spending plans. Present Government introduced CRI from 1997-98. {3} Single Housing Pot introduced 2000-01 resulting in CRI being merged with HIP. {4} Resource accounting has resulted in a change to the way capital resources are allocated for 2001-02, with the introduction of the Major Repairs Allowance (MRA) to cover the cost of maintaining local authority housing in sound condition. Wakefield's MRA allocation is £18,088 million and, for comparison purposes, is included in the 2001-02 HIP allocation above. Housing Revenue Account Subsidy £ _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Wakefield M&M allowance per dwelling 1997-98 761.67 1998-99 767.98 1999-2000 791.67 2000-01 832.01 2001-02 839.81 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Note: Figures for the HRA are given as allowance per dwelling rather than in global figures Neighbourhood Renewal Fund {5} Wakefield is one of 88 local authority areas, which have been targeted for the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and over the next three financial years will receive £9.990 million (£2.222 million, £3.329 million and £4.439 million respectively over the next three F/Ys). Because of this, Wakefield is also eligible for the Community Empowerment Fund (£400,000 over the next three years) and the Community Chest (no details yet, but will be a national fund of £50 million over three years). Transport {6} This figure will not be known until agreement has been reached on the split between the five West Yorkshire local authorities of the Transport Supplementary Credit Approval allocated to the West Yorkshire PTA. In addition, the following funds have been allocated to the West Yorkshire PTA, some of which have been/will be spent in the Wakefield MDC area: £ million _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Nature of funding 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 Transport Block 0 0 3.000 2.500 {7}57.607 Supplementary Credit Approval Rural Bus Challenge Grant 0 0 0.364 0.209 0.917 Rural Bus Subsidy Grant 0 0.556 0.556 0.556 0.710 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {7} This figure has yet to be split between the West Yorkshire PTA and five other West Yorkshire highway authorities SRB Schemes in Wakefield Area Round 1: SESKU--Wakefield Economic Alliance Aims to introduce a coherent and sustainable programme of regeneration to break the decline of the South Elmsall, South Kirby and Upton (SESKU) areas which have been dependent upon the coal industry. SRB Support: £6.563 million Scheme Total: £64.76 million Round 3: Foundations for a Competitive Economy Four-year scheme led by Wakefield Learning Partnership aimed at raising IT attainment and skill levels, fostering a culture of lifetime learning and equipping people for employment through community multi-media centres. SRB Support: £2.3 million Scheme Total: £7 million Round 4: Fresh Aire Six-year community-based scheme focusing on employment, education and training, community safety, and community capacity building. The target area covers the Airedale and Warwick, the most socially excluded estates in the district. SRB Total: £4.127 million Scheme Total: £14.910 million Round 5: Hemsworth Coalfield A six year scheme submitted by the Hemsworth Coalfield Partnership led by Wakefield MDC which focuses on the coalfields area in the south of Wakefield District, covering the communities of Hemsworth and Elmsall. SRB Total: £8.050 million Scheme Total: £20.319 million Round 6 Working on Cold Coal--North Wakefield To further the regeneration of neighbourhoods and communities in the northern half of Wakefield District. Increase the employability of those excluded from the regional economy and reviving the neighbourhoods within which they live. SRB Total: £7.87 million Scheme Total: £28.93 million European Funding Under the 1997-99 Objective 2 Programme, the Action Plan for the Wakefield district was worth £5.3 million in ERDF and £2.4 million in ESF, together with capital projects (a development site and Yorkshire Sculpture Park projects worth over £6 million in ERDF/ESF). Objective 3 (ESF), Wakefield had £113,000 in 1998 and £236,000 in 1999. Objective 4 (ESF), Wakefield had £194,000 for 1998 and £490,000 for 1999.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

153000; 365 c13-5W;365 c13-6W

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Government departments Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions Wakefield Hemsworth

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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