The GLC: Rates (Hansard, 24 November 1983)

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Lord Bellwin)
My Lords, since the GLC—as a result of its own budget decisions—is not in receipt of rate support grant for 1983–84, I am glad to say that taxpayers' money is not being used to meet the cost of this publication, which has been reported as an incredible £610,000. It must be for London ratepayers, on whom this burden falls, themselves to raise with the auditor any question about expenditure of their money on the publication.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that reply and rejoicing in it as a taxpayer, may I as a London ratepayer, however, ask him whether it is in accordance with the honourable traditions of local government to use ratepayers' money for the production of a paper which, although because of its cheap mendacity is unlikely to be of very considerable political effect, is plainly a party political organ; and whether if the district auditor does not move on this, he is earning his pay?

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his observations within his question. Certainly it is not within the honourable traditions—that is about the last thing that it is—but it has to be said that the auditor has to adjudicate in each case on every issue, if you like, that is brought to him, and I hope that he will look very carefully at the most recent one.

§ Lord Graham of Edmonton
My Lords, does the noble Lord the Minister recall that when this matter was raised in the House in March last year he indicated to the House that these matters had been drawn to the attention of the district auditor and that the district auditor was considering any action that he might take? In view of that, can the Minister tell the House what action the district auditor did take either then or later? Would the Minister also bear in mind that, under the Local Government Planning and Land Act, it was his 344 Government which laid a duty upon local authorities to publicise their activities and when passing stricture of a political nature will he deal also with Tory Westminster as well as Socialist GLC?

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, the Act is quite clear it is open to ratepayers to question each and every issue. The conclusion that the auditor may have reached on earlier issues would clearly seem to indicate that no action was to be taken by him, otherwise we should have heard of it. I think it is equally fair to say, however, that the degree of politicisation in the most current issues of not just this publication but others by other authorities, is becoming more and more extreme, and it is therefore again for the auditor, if called upon by the ratepayers, to adjudicate in each case. That is the position.

§ Lord Harris of Greenwich
My Lords, is it not only the Greater London Council but a number of other—an increasing minority—local authorities which are doing this? Is the noble Lord not aware that many people are becoming increasingly disturbed about the use by local authorities of these newspapers for party political purposes? Also, is he aware that the district auditor system really has not in the past provided any answer to this problem? Accordingly, what action is he contemplating taking to deal with it?

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, I am aware, and indeed the noble Lord is quite right, that there are a number of authorities which go well beyond the point which the noble Lord, Lord Graham, made earlier. I think that he would probably be the first to agree with me, if we sat down together and looked at them, that there is always a balance of what is fair and sensible and reasonable in presenting one's own case as to what one is doing as an authority. Not only is there no objection to that; the Government feel it is desirable. There is a point and that point is being reached again and again. As to what the Government do about it, they have to watch carefully and decide. These are not issues which can lightly or easily be acted upon. There are great principles at stake here and we have to be very careful about them.

§ Lord Renton
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that The Londoner is not distributed to those London households who inhabit parts of London which could be regarded as no hope areas for Marxists? What conclusions does he draw from that practice?

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, the conclusion I draw from what my noble friend says is that I am wondering in what category they place me, because I receive it.

§ Lord Jenkins of Putney
My Lords, is not the proper conclusion to draw from that that this is careful husbandry and indicative of an attitude which the noble Lord should support? Will he not answer this question since he says this is a matter for the ratepayers, why has he removed from the ratepayers their traditional right to express their opinion on this and other matters at the ballot box?

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, I am sure that the noble Lord does not expect me to reiterate the whole story of 345 the ballot box. The fact is that he knows as well as I do—or if he does not, he should do—that the number of people who actually register their vote at the ballot box, as against those who are paying as ratepayers the full rates for this kind of publication, is somewhere around about one-fifth of the people—that is all.

§ The Earl of Lauderdale
My Lords, would my noble friend not agree that there is anxiety on this question in all parts of the House? This is not merely a Tory propaganda stunt. There has been support from the Alliance Benches on the other side. There is manifest anxiety opposite where they sit silent or smug, as the case may be; and therefore is not a very serious review by the Government of the whole problem called for?

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, I hear what my noble friend says and I have to concur with him on one thing that the degree of concern about this is rising very much indeed as matters become more and more extreme. I can today do no more than say that I note carefully what is said and the feelings in the House.

§ Lord Glenamara
My Lords, can I ask the noble Lord whether he has seen the letters sent out with rate demands by the Westminster City Council which are blatantly anti-Labour political propaganda? That council is in receipt of rate support grant. What does he intend to do about that?

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, the observations I made apply to all authorities; they would have no credence if they did not do so, and I am not here to attack or defend any authority on its own. It is the principle that we are all concerned with and if that goes, then there is much more loss than we are discussing today.

Viscount St. Davids
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that I live in a part of London which apparently earns rather high marks from the Greater London Council and that we have many causes to groan, indeed to over-groan, when we see every copy of this paper (another one having arrived today) and know that it is our already enormous rates which are being spent on it?

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, I can only hear and sympathise with what the noble Lord says.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, in the light of the reference of the noble Lord, Lord Graham of Edmonton, to the duty of a local authority to publicise itself, can my noble friend say whether it is possible to reconcile that admirable objective with the publication of a document the front page of which is mainly occupied by an offensive cartoon of the Prime Minister?

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, I am sure that all your Lordships will deplore that type of publication using that type of propaganda.

§ Lord Ardwick
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that, although there may be anxiety on this side about this new practice, there is anxiety about another thing? I do not think that there is in the length and breadth of 346 Britain a single local newspaper which gives support to the Labour party, particularly to local Labour councils. Although many local newspapers are neutral, many are unfair. I do not know of a single newspaper which gives Labour solid support, as in some areas there is solid support for Conservative administrations.

§ Lord Bellwin
My Lords, that is very wide of the Question. I do not feel obliged to answer it.