HC Deb 24 February 1959 vol 600 cc934-8
31. Mr. Braine

asked the Minister of House and Local Government and Minister of Welsh Affairs if he is aware that, notwithstanding the powers of discretion already possessed by local authorities, hardship is still caused to many frontagers who are unable to meet their share of the cost of making up private streets; and whether he will set up a Departmental Committee to investigate the extent of the problem and to make recommendations.

55. Sir F. Medlicott

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware of the difficulty experienced by many house-owners who are unable to meet the cost of making up private streets owing to the present high cost of such work; and what progress he has made in his examination of the possibility of providing some amelioration of the financial burden falling on such owners.

Mr. Bevins

As a result of an examination of the cases which have recently come before him on appeal, my right hon. Friend has decided to put in hand a broader survey of the working of the arrangements for the making-up of private streets. When this survey is completed we shall consider what further action may be necessary.

Mr. Braine

May I warmly congratulate the Minister upon having taken that decision? Could my hon. Friend indicate when the Committee might report? I have constituents who derive no degree of benefit from flank road work but are required to pay charges of £700 or £800, when they cannot possibly do so.

Mr. Bevins

What we have done so far has been to carry out examination of the appeals sent to the Ministry, but they give only part of the picture. We shall send to local authorities for further information and when we have it we shall consider an Amendment of the law.

Sir F. Medlicott

Is my hon. Friend aware that postponement of making up these streets necessitates work being done in some cases at two or three times the price that it would have cost before the war? As there are hundreds of these streets in Norwich and Norfolk, is my hon. Friend aware that his decision will be very much appreciated?

Mr. Bevins

We took that into consideration.

Mr. Awbery

Is not this another addition to the cost of purchasing one's own house? Seeing that the road is used by the community at large, would not the hon. Gentleman arrange for the making-up of the road to be the responsibility of the local authority or of the national Exchequer?

Mr. Bevins

That is a very much wider question.

34 and 37. Mr. Gower

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) how many unmade private roads there were in Glamorgan and in the area of Cardiff Rural District Council, respectively, at the end of 1951; how many of these roads are still unmade; and what steps he is taking to avoid further hardship to the people affected by the condition of many of these streets;

(2) if he will take steps to ensure that all unmade private streets in the area of the Cardiff Rural District Council shall be made up and completed together with pavements and footways within the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. H. Brooke

I have no information about the number of unmade private roads in any area. I think it could be obtained directly from the local authority concerned. I have no power to direct any local authority to carry out private street works, but I am prepared to give the Glamorgan County Council consent to borrow money for making up streets in the Cardiff rural district which are in bad repair, should they wish me to do so.

Mr. Gower

As my right hon. Friend has announced the new policy with regard to unmade private roads, would not it be of great assistance if he had information about the number of unmade roads in the area of each local authority in the United Kingdom?

Mr. Brooke

It is for the local authority to take the initiative, and, as I have explained to my hon. Friend, I have no power to compel local authorities to take action. Not having that power, it would not be of great assistance to me in carrying out my Departmental duties to collect a lot of information.

40. Mr. Gower

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what increase he will sanction, and at what cost, in the making-up of private roads and streets in England and Wales, respectively, during the next year; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. H. Brooke

It is not possible at this stage to say what the extent of the authorisations will be during the coming year, because the initiative rests with the local authorities. They are responsible for formulating proposals.

47. Mr. Swingler

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and the Minister for Welsh Affairs the reasons for the delay in giving loan sanction to Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council for private street works in Parkside Avenue and Woolliscroft Avenue, for which application was made on 19th January, and for Leamington Gardens, for which application was made on 27th January.

Mr. Bevins

There was no delay in dealing with these applications. The council was told on 20th February that loan sanction would be issued.

Mr. Swingler

While thanking the Parliamentary Secretary for the fact that the council received permission yesterday, may I ask why it took a month for the loan sanction to be given? Did not the Ministry send a circular saying that it wanted the council to go ahead with this work? Why should it take four or five weeks for the Minister to give approval?

Mr. Bevins

It took that period because the local authority omitted to give all the information it should have given.

48. Mr. Swingler

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs why it took his Department from 12th December, 1958, to 4th February, 1959, to give loan sanction to the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in respect of private street works for Sparch Avenue and Fairfield Avenue.

Mr. Bevins

It was necessary to ask the local authority for additional information, which was received on 6th January. The council was informed on 22nd January that loan sanction would be given.

Mr. Swingler

As the Minister sent an inspector to Newcastle-under-Lyme who went into the whole problem of private street works and inspected many of the private streets, why did the Minister create difficulties by asking unnecessary questions of the council when representatives of the Ministry had been on the spot?

Mr. Bevins

The hon. Member is being unnecessarily churlish. The local authority omitted to give the information it ought to have given and further information was asked for on 22nd December, ten days after the first application was received. Loan sanction was promised 16 days later.

49. Mr. Swingler

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will speed up the sanctioning of loans to local authorities for private street works.

Mr. Bevins

No, Sir.

Mr. Swingler

Will the Parliamentary Secretary himself stop being churlish and have a look into this question? Is not it a fact that repeatedly over many years I have raised with the Department cases of unmade roads and the details have been investigated on several occasions on the spot by Ministry inspectors? Why, therefore, is it necessary to have so many questions and answers between the Ministry and the council? Cannot the Government put any faith in a local authority which knows its own business?

Mr. Bevins

All these applications have to be looked at technically and it often is necessary to ask the local authority for further information. We are dealing with 400 to 500 applications a year and the average time taken to dispose of them is less than one: month.