§ Mr. Andersonasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will indicate the factors taken into account in the selection of designated districts in Wales under the Inner Urban Areas Bill.
§ Mr. Alec JonesThe following table sets out the basic data as respects the five districts in Wales for designation under the Inner Urban Areas Bill whose selection was announced in my right hon. and learned Friend's reply to my hon. Friend on 19th May. As well as the factors described by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment in his reply dated 13th June—[Vol. 951, c.468–78]—we had to bear in mind that a substantial proportion of Wales' population live in urban areas which demonstrate problems of social and physical decline comparable with those of inner cities, together with industrial decline largely caused by the run down of the coal and steel industries.
933W934W
Social/Demographic Economic Physical Local Authority (population) Estimated population loss/gain Seriously overcrowded New Common-wealth population Single parent families Pensioners Unemployed Socio-economic groups on low incomes Free school meals Lacking basic housing amenities Derelict land (hectares (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (j) (k) (l) Blaenau Gwent (85,555): Number … … -3,455 256 0 940 14,034 3,190 11,300 7,652 1,441 Percent. … … -4.0 1.0 0 3.3 16.5 10.5 13.2 13.1 26.9 11.5 Cardiff (287,600): Number … … -7,300 995 4,314 3,920 44,465 10,191 27,090 21,734 245 Per cent. … … -2.5 1.1 1.5 4.2 15.9 7.4 9.4 15.5 23.2 2.0 Newport (136,845): Number … … -3,145 407 1,779 1,790 19,325 4,814 15,620 7,994 52 Per cent. … … -2.3 1.0 1.3 4.0 14.4 7.2 11.4 13.1 17.9 0.3 Rhondda (88,995): Number … … -3,995 225 89 990 15,400 2,715 12,430 15,202 678 Per cent. … … -4.5 0.7 0.1 3.3 17.4 8.0 14.0 13.2 50.7 7.0 Swansea (189,855): Number … … -2,355 600 380 2,090 29,693 4,692 21,520 13,228 257 Percent. … … -1.2 1.1 0.2 3.3 16.1 6.5 11.3 11.3 21.1 1.0