§ 26. Mr. Milneasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what was the annual cost of interest charge repayments on housing loans in 1951 and 1963 in Blyth, Seaton Valley and Bedlingtonshire.
§ Sir K. JosephAs the Answer involves a table of figures, I will with permission circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. MilneI am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for undertaking to provide these figures, and after examining them, we shall be able to make comments. However, may I ask whether he is also 1072 aware that the financial part of housing is the one most crippling to local authorities and that their ability to go ahead with housing plans is restricted by the nature of the interest charges that they have to pay? Will the right hon. Gentleman undertake to look into the matter much more closely than appears to have been the case in recent years?
§ Sir K. JosephA review of housing subsidies so that local authorities can plan ahead with confidence is going on at this moment.
§ The figures* are as follows:
| Interest of Charges on Housing Account | ||
| 1951–52 £ | 1962–63 £ | |
| Blyth B.C | 68,822 | 175,003 |
| Seaton Valley U.D.C. | 64,232 | 160,211 |
| Bedlingtonshire U.D.C | 56,453 | 199,199 |
| * Sources: Epitomes of Accounts. |