INITIAL EXPENSES OF NEW AUTHORITIES (Hansard, 24 October 1972)

§ Mr. Speed
I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment.

§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Robert Grant-Ferris)
With this Lords Amendment we can take Lords Amendment No. 239.

§ Mr. Speed
These Lords amendments make two minor technical changes in Clause 165, which deals with arrangements for meeting the initial expenses incurred by the new authorities between their election in 1973 and their replacing the existing authorities in 1974. Subsections (1) and (2) of this Clause provide for the payment to the new authorities by existing rating authorities—county boroughs, boroughs and district councils—of an amount equal to a rate of a quarter of a new penny in the £.
The first Lords Amendment enables the Secretary of State by order to prescribe a different fraction of a new penny rate, and the second enables him either to make the same fraction applicable to all existing rating areas—county boroughs, boroughs and districts—or to lay down different fractions for different kinds of rating authorities. The second also states that any such order is to be subject to annulment by either House of Parliament.
Both the Lords Amendments provide a degree of flexibility which may be found desirable in practice. The quarter rate may prove inadequate, and if so it may be that the inadequacy would affect only some existing rating areas—for example, and by way of illustration only—areas which are to be included in metropolitan areas under the Bill. They are simple, non-controversial Amend-and give greater flexibility.