Local Government Finance Bill

Indeed. I know that the Secretary of State will say, ““We are giving you these local responsibilities””, but how are authorities going to plug the gap? It will be either by cutting services even more or by increasing domestic rates. Another point on which we need clarification is the ““exceptional circumstances”” mentioned in the Bill. I should like to know what ““exceptional circumstances”” are. In what circumstances would the Secretary of State look at a reset during the 10-year period? Local government needs certainty, and not just in providing services. For example, three-year budgets allowed councils to take decisions that led to efficiencies. If councils are not sure how much money there will be each year, that uncertainty will prevent them from making strategic decisions, savings and investments. That flexibility will be lost. The argument is that this is a localism Bill giving local councils a say, but as we have explained clearly, it actually gives more powers to the Secretary of State and Ministers to decide the future of local government. I should like to know from the Minister why 10 years was chosen for the reset. Earlier, there were some comments about revaluation. When the Secretary of State was in opposition he argued vigorously against the revaluation of domestic rates. It is time to look at domestic rates, because in all our constituencies we see disparities between different properties. The revaluation process was rushed, which led to a record number of appeals. The Bill will give rise to a situation where the inequality set in domestic rates in the 1990s will be set in the business rate assessment too.