Member

The Government also produce the annual report on English devolution, which reports on many of the key elements of this Bill, including the establishment of new strategic authorities, their additional functions and funding devolved to them. I should respond to the noble Baroness, Lady Eaton, who made some comments about funding in local government, as other Peers have done. For 14 years—I was in local government when this happened—that funding had been decimated. We have provided a much better funding settlement this year. It is a fair funding settlement because, throughout those 14 years, those less able to raise funds through council tax, because of their low council tax bases, were penalised the worst. That was leading to a downward spiral for the communities that could least afford to have that imposed on them. We are working alongside the devolution programme on the funding formula. We could not do everything we wanted to this year, but we will continue to work with our colleagues in local government to make that funding picture better for them.