§ 22. Mr. Sparksasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware of the substantial increase in estimated expenditure on local government for the next municipal year; and what, in the main, has given rise to these abnormal increases.
§ Mr. H. MacmillanExpenditure tends to grow as standards rise. Salaries, wages, prices, additional children of school age, all these have their effect. Moreover, certain authorities, finding their balances depleted, are no longer able to avoid rises in rate poundage.
§ Mr. SparksDoes the right hon. Gentleman now say that the general rise in rates throughout the country is due to a general rise in the level of prices and costs to local authorities?
§ Mr. MacmillanNo. I said that expenditure tends to grow as standards rise.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanHas the right hon. Gentleman formed any estimate of what increase in local government expenditure would be caused if the local authorities accepted his advice to expend capital funds on the compulsory acquisition of unoccupied dwelling houses instead of requisitioning them at no expense at all?
§ Mr. MacmillanIt would be at the expense of the taxpayer.