Local Government Finance

I congratulate the hon. Lady on her relatively numerate presentation, in comparison with what was said by certain people sitting elsewhere in the Chamber. Would she care to speculate on the result for gearing of artificially holding down possible national increases in council tax so that a cumulative additional amount of central Government grant would have to go in to make up the gap and, thus, keep the total stable? As she has suggested, that would increase gearing still further over the years of that increase.