§ Mr. DribergI beg to ask leave to present a petition to this honourable House on behalf of the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the London Borough of Barking. I should be most grateful, Mr. Speaker, if you would direct the learned Clerk to read out the petition in extenso. The CLERK OF THE HOUSE read the petition, which was as follows:
§ To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled.
§ The Humble Petition of the Mayor. Aldermen and Burgesses of the London Borough of Barking.
§ SHEWETH
§ That the number of local authority dwellings in the London Borough of Barking is more than 38.000, of which over 23,000 are owned by your Petitioners and that if the Housing Finance Bill is passed into law it will, first, deprive your Petitioners of their right to determine the rents of properties which they own; second, result in considerable increases in rent, thereby causing grave hardship to many residents in your Petitioners' borough including tenants of properties owned by your Petitioners;
§ third, necessitate additional expenditure to meet the cost of increased staff required to implement the terms of the proposed legislation which would fall upon the ratepayers of your Petitioners' borough;
§ fourth, require your Petitioners to enquire into the private income of many thousands of tenants who will feel impelled to apply for a rent rebate because of the increased rents.
§ WHEREFORE your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House shall not pass the Housing Finance Bill into law.
§ And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, & c.
§ To lie upon the Table.