§ Mrs. Doris Fisherasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the approximate percentage of local authority expenditure for which his Department has effective control.
§ Mr. Graham PageThe Government do not control the current expenditure of local authorities except for some items in respect of which specific grants are paid—less than 10 per cent. of relevant expenditure. About two-thirds of local authority capital expenditure requires specific Government approval. Most of the remainder is subject to an overall ceiling on the total of expenditure financed by borrowing but is not controlled in detail.