§ Mr. Charles Morrisonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the local authority areas from which he has applications for exempted district status; if he will name the areas for which exempted district status has been granted since 1st January, 1968; if he will estimate the additional cost to educational resources in each of these areas; and whether he will make a decision on any outstanding applications before the publication of the Report of the Royal Commission on Local Government.
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§ Mr. Edward ShortFollowing is a list of the 12 county districts whose councils lodged applications for directions constituting the districts Excepted Districts for the purposes of Part III of the First Schedule to the Education Act, 1944 during the period 23rd July, 1968 to 22nd January, 1969, in accordance with Section 52 of the Local Government Act, 1958. I have no power to withhold a direction when an application is made by an area which has a prescriptive right to Excepted District status, but I have suggested to the councils of these areas that they should allow their applications to be held in suspense until the report of the Royal Commission on Local Government in England is available and five councils have agreed to do so.
I have not attempted to estimate the additional cost to the education service of establishing these areas as Excepted Districts, since this depends on the local situation in each case, and the staffing adjustment which may be made when the new arrangements have taken effect.
The list is as follows:
Areas which have a prescriptive right to Excepted District status
- Beeston and Stapleford U.D.
- Crawley U.D., Direction issued.
- Fareham U.D., Direction issued.
- Harlow U.D., Direction issued.
- Harrogate M.B.
- Hemel Hempstead M.B.
- Kirkby U.D., Direction issued.
- Thurrock U.D.
- Watford M.B.
Areas which have made application on grounds of special circumstances
- Easthampstead R.D.
- Eton R.D.
- Wokingham R.D.