HC Deb 01 April 1981 vol 2 c276
Mr. Mellor

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the expenditure per capita of each local authority in England.

Mr. King

Local authorities' estimates of total rate-and-grant-borne expenditure per head of population for the 1980–81 financial year are shown in the publication "Financial, General and Rating Statistics 1980–81".

Mr. Mellor

Does my right hon. Friend agree that those figures will show that in inner London and other major urban areas expenditure per head in Labour authorities is markedly higher than in Conservative authorities? Does he also agree that in inner London there is no appreciable difference in services for the extra money which it costs an average ratepayer to live in a Labour borough?

Mr. King

I con firm what my hon. Friend has said. I note that Wandsworth has the lowest expenditure per head of any inner London borough. At present, when so many inner London boroughs wish to preserve employment in their areas, it is clear that Wandsworth council is making a major contribution to that objective by minimising its rate bills.

Mr. Dubs

Does the Minister not accept that expenditure by Labour authorities in inner city areas reflects the social need, disadvantage and deprivation in those areas and that by cutting many necessary services Wandsworth council is doing untold damage to the people that it is supposed to be serving?

Mr. King

If the hon. Gentleman wants to consider this issue seriously, rather than mouth political slogans, invite him to study the recent expenditure analyses of the London boroughs of Camden and Lambeth. They show that it is a total travesty to suggest that high levels of expenditure imply efficient value for money and high levels of service. In both cases, there is undoubtedly gross evidence of waste.