§ 15. Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the rate support grant for 1979–80; and if he will take into account the need to ensure that those metropolitan districts in England which were losers this year do not suffer repeated disadvantage in the awaited order.
§ Mr. ShoreI shall announce the terms of the 1979–80 settlement on 24th November. In reaching my final decisions, I shall take account of the many representations made to me.
§ Mr. HardyI thank my right hon. Friend for his recent approval of our South Yorkshire waterway. May I ask him to ensure that authorities such as my own, which are especially keen to meet local needs, do not suffer discouragement from doing so next year?
§ Mr. ShoreI thank my hon. Friend for what he said. I understand the difficulties but, as he knows, in the allocation of rate support grant the needs element is based upon a general formula, general assessment of need, and it is not really a question of making individual allocations to local authorities. Nevertheless, I believe that the machinery for assessing need, while far from perfect, is the best available and that it is also the right principle that we should allocate resources according to assessed needs.
§ Mr. HeseltineIn fixing the rate support grant for the next year, will the Secretary of State ensure that average rate increases do not exceed the Government's target of 5 per cent.?
§ Mr. ShoreI shall be making my statutory statement on 24th November, and no doubt I shall give some indication then of what I expect the major figures to be, in terms both of rate of inflation and of actual rates.