§ 18. Mr. Liptonasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what inquiries he is making into new methods of raising revenue for local government purposes.
§ Sir K. JosephNone.
§ Mr. LiptonIs it not quite deplorable that the Government's mind should apparently be closed to any idea of solving the problem that arises because of the heavy and increasing burden of rates, which will be intensified by the new valuation that is about to come into force? Is it not quite clear that the Government will have to take some steps, at some time or other, to relieve local authorities of the increasing burdens in respect of education and other services, which are not really local authority responsibilities?
§ Sir K. JosephThe Government would certainly welcome a solution of this problem, but they believe that it would be wrong to encourage the view that there is an easy way out. At the moment the taxpayer pays more than half the cost of local authority services. Certainly our minds are not closed to any way of easing the burden on the ratepayers.