HC Deb 23 July 1975 vol 896 cc208-10W
28. Mr. Sainsbury

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to enforce cash limits for local authority expenditure.

29. Mr. Charles Morrison

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures he expects to use to enforce cash limits on wages in local government.

37. Mr. Graham Page

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he can now say whether he is proposing to fix cash limits for local authority expenditure in the current financial year.

41. Mr. MacGregor

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the Consultative Council or the local authority associations about the application of cash limits to local authority expenditure in the coming year.

42. Mr. Tim Renton

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how he proposes to make cash limits on local authority expenditure effective.

Mr. Crosland

The White Paper "The Attack on Inflation" states that work is in hand to introduce cash limits where appropriate in 1976–77. Until that work is complete I cannot say how local government spending may be affected.

33. Mr. Hurd

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next proposes to take the chair of the Consultative Council on Local Government Finance.

Mr. Crosland

On 1st August.

39. Mr. Banks

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent guidance he has given local authorities regarding the control of their expenditure this year.

Mr. Crosland

I made a statement on this matter in the House on 19th June. A copy of this statement was sent to all English local authorities on 27th June as DOE Circular 67/75.

40. Mr. Lawson

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment which Ministers attended the second meeting of the Consultative Council on Local Government Finance.

Mr. Crosland

The Secretary of State and the Under-Secretary for the Environment, the Secretaries of State for Social Services, for Education and Science, and for Wales, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Minister of State, Home Office.

45. Mr. Moate

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what expenditure is expected to be incurred in the current year on the purchase of private houses by local authorities under the Government's municipalisation policy.

Mr. Armstrong

£185 million at November 1974 prices, this being the equiva lent of the estimated expenditure by local authorities in the last financial year.

50. Mr. Durant

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he now proposes to take to reduce the growth in local authority expenditure.

Mr. Crosland

This matter will fall to be discussed both in the context of the 1976–77 RSG negotiations and at meetings of the Consultative Council.