§ 60 and 62. Mr. K. Thompsonasked 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. SandysI 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. Thompsonasked 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. SandysSince 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. ThompsonIs 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. SandysSince 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 |