The Local Government Finance Bill has been passed today, with the Government accepting amendments to independently review the impact of localised council tax benefit (CTB) schemes within three years.

Introducing the Lords amendments during the third reading in the Commons today, local government minister, Brandon Lewis, said the business rates retention scheme would ‘for the first time in a generation, allow local areas to share in the proceeds of growth'.

Mr Lewis said the amendments clarify the basis on which local authorities can apply for a safety net payment on account, simplify ‘pooling arrangements' among authorities and operate on local government's preferred ‘collection fund approach' - currently used for council tax.

Mr Lewis's predecessor as local government minister, Bob Neill, told MPs the technical amendments to the Bill contain devices and tools rendering ‘unnecessary' an ‘imposed form of unitary restructuring' – as Lord Heseltine proposed in his eagerly awaited growth review today.