§ Mr. O'Brienasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the West Yorkshire police authority on the question of the level of expenditure for police services in 1986–87; and what response he has made.
§ Mr. Giles ShawA delegation from the West Yorkshire police authority came to meet my right hon. Friend and myself last month to explain the authority's concern about the problems it believed it would face in spending up to the expenditure level of §60.616 million which my right hon. Friend had proposed under the Rates Act 1984. My right hon. Friend is considering the points the authority raised at the meeting. Following representations from the authority, my right hon. Friend redetermined the expenditure level at £63. 269 million. More recently the authority has asked him to increase the maximum precept which he had proposed it should be able to make for 1986–87 in order to allow a greater margin for contingencies. We have considered the authority's arguments but have concluded that a higher provision is not justified.