§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will give local authorities details of their rate support grant for the next financial year.
§ Mr. CroslandI expect to announce my proposals about the end of this month.
§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it is still his intention to give local authorities advance payments of rate support grant for 1975–76 so as to avoid any supplementary rate demand.
§ Mr. CroslandI know that local authorities are now facing serious cash flow problems. I have carefully considered the request of the local authority associations that there should be accelerated rate support grant payments this year in order to help them. However, I decided that it would be wrong for me to agree to this. I hope that a reasonable rate support grant settlement for 1975–76 will enable60W local authorities to avoid facing cash flow problems next year.