HC Deb 12 June 1956 vol 554 cc244-6
60 and 62. Mr. K. Thompson

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) what progress has been made in his statutory review of the operation of the Exchequer equalisation fund; and if he will make a statement;

(2) if in view of the anomalies in the distribution of the Exchequer equalisation grant both before and since revaluation, he will introduce legislation to provide for a more satisfactory basis.

Mr. Sandys

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Sir A. Spearman) on 8th May. The review of local government finance referred to in that reply naturally embraces the effects of revaluation as well as the distribution of the Exchequer equalisation grant.

61. Mr. K. Thompson

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to publish a list showing, for county and non-county boroughs of England and Wales in receipt of Exchequer equalisation grant, the effect of this grant on rate poundage demanded for 1955–56 and for 1956–57.

Mr. Sandys

Since the Answer contains a large number of figures, I will with permission circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. Non-county boroughs do not receive equalisation grants.

Mr. Thompson

Is my right hon. Friend aware that these three Questions draw attention to very grave dissatisfaction among most local authorities about the operation of the Exchequer equalisation grant on its present basis? Is he aware that this is a long-standing complaint, and that anything he can do to speed up an improvement in the system will be greatly welcomed by the local authorities concerned?

Mr. Sandys

Since the revaluation, of course, different authorities are now discontented.

Following is the Answer:

The information asked for in respect of all the local authorities who are concerned is as follows:

EXCHEQUER EQUALISATION GRANTS PAYABLE TO COUNTY BOROUGHS FOR 1955–56 AND 1956–57 EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF RATE POUNDAGE
County boroughs 1955–56 (Second estimate) 1956–57 (Second estimate)
s. d. s. d.
Barnsley 12 5 9 1
Barrow-in-Furness 5 5 9 1
Birkenhead 2 11 4 7
Birmingham 5 1
Blackburn 3 3 5 9
Bolton 3 6 4 6
Bootle 3 0 4 10
Bradford 1 2 3 10
Burnley 3 3 6 8
Burton-upon-Trent 5 0 1 8
Bury 3 2 3 6
Carlise 2 11 4 2
Coventry 1 10
Darlington 11
Derby 1 3
Dewbury 8 6 7 6
Doncaster 8
Dudley 11 2 3 5
East Ham 5 10 1 2
Gateshead 12 2 8 11
Gloucester 2 2 1
Great Yarmouth 5
Grimsby 8 10 4 0
Halifax 5 4 5 7
Huddersfield 3 1
Ipswich 3 6
Kingston-up-on-Hull 8 5 6 2
Leeds 2 0
Leicester 8
Lincoln 1 1 3 7
Liverpool 2 6
Middlesbrough 12 2 6 4
Norwich 2
Nottingham 1 0 1 0
Oldham 7 8 5 6
Preston 5 2 3 9
Preston 5 1 4 8
Rotherham 9 7 5 4
St. Helens 14 4 11 4
Salford 7 3 8 3
Sheffield 2 6 3 10
Smethwick 9 6 6 0
South Shields 9 3 7 6
Stockport 4 3 4 6
Stock-on-Trent 14 0 9 11
Sunderland 9 1 4 2
Tynemouth 2 5 4 7
Wakefield 2 6 4 1
Wallasey 1 5
Walsall 12 5 7 0
Warrington 11 4 7 10
West Bromwich 13 6 5 4
West Ham 3 9 2
West Hartlepool 7 5 4 10
Wigan 9 1 6 7
Wolverhampton 3 8 5
Worcester 1 9
York 2 9 2 9
Merthyr Tydfil 36 10 21 10
Newport (Mon.) 2 1 1 11
Swansea 3 4 1 10
EXCHEQUER EQUALISATION GRANT PAYABLE TO COUNTIES FOR THE YEARS 1955–56 AND 1956–57 EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF RATE POUNDAGE
Administrative counties 1955–56 (Second estimate) 1956–57 (First estimate)
s. d. s. d.
Bedford 7 7 1 7
Berks 2 10 2 1
Buckingham 1 2
Cambridge 8 7 1
Chester 4 1 2 11
Cornwell 9 10 5 11
Cumberland 14 11 12 0
Derby 10 9 7 7
Devon 2 6 8
Dorest 4 1 2 6
Durham 20 6 11 5
Essex 2 11 1 4
Gloucester 11 4 3 8
Hereford 13 5 9 3
Hertford 2
Huntingdon 20 11 8 3
Isle of Ely 32 8 6 9
Lancaster 6 9 5 6
Leicester 14 4 5 11
Lincoln:
Parts of Holland 28 5 9 10
Parts of Kesteven 18 7 10 2
Parts of Lindsey 15 1 3 9
Norfolk 23 5 9 10
Northampton 14 1 6 3
Northumberland 8 10 7 3
Nottimgham 10 1 5 10
Oxford 11 5 6 2
Rutland 9 4 6 2
Salop 14 4 7 8
Soke of Peterborough 6 0 10
Spmerset 7 6 4 0
Southampton 2 5 1 5
Stafford 18 2 7 9
Suffolk East 12 9 6 10
Suffolk West 16 5 10 0
Warwick 4 6 1 11
Westmorland 4 11 4 2
Wilts 7 5 4 7
Worcester 13 8 4 8
Yorks:
East Riding 9 8 5 0
North Riding 7 3 5 1
West Riding 13 5 10 5
Anglesey 25 6 13 10
Brecknock 20 7 13 11
Caernarvon 14 1 2 8
Cardigan 63 4 18 4
Carmarthen 39 3 12 4
Denbigh 14 4 6 10
Flint 7 0 2 2
Glamorgan 24 4 10 7
Merioneth 43 6 17 1
Monmouth 30 5 17 0
Montgomery 47 9 26 9
Pembroke 38 10 17 0
Radnor 9 10 14 11