§ Mr. Andrew Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his most recent estimate of the numbers of persons in England and Wales who fall under the following categories as defined in the Green Paper "Paying for Local Government" (a) single pensioners and pensioner couples who are secondary tax units, (b) pensioners living in residential homes, nursing homes, hospitals and psychiatric units and (c) married women who are pensioners or who are married to pensioners and who are non-householders.
§ Mr. HowardI refer my hon. Friend to annex C of the Green Paper "Paying for Local Government" (Cmnd. 9714), which sets out key facts about the numbers of households and tax units, and (so far as(b) is concerned) to my answer to him today.
§ Mr. Andrew Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the number of pensioners living in residential homes, nursing homes, hospitals and psychiatric units in England and Wales who will be exempt from the community charge.
§ Mr. HowardIt is not possible to provide a precise estimate of the number of pensioners in such institutions who would be exempt from the community charge. The statistics collected by the DHSS do not distinguish between those people who occupy such institutions as their sole or main residence—and would thus be exempt from the personal community charge—and those whose stay is temporary and who would remain liable at their main place of residence. The number is, however, likely to be in the region of 250,000–300,000.
§ Mr. Bevanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information has been made available on the Government's proposals for reform of the rating system.
§ Mr. HowardThe main proposals in our Green Paper "Paying for Local Government" (Cmnd. 9714), published in January 1986, were summarised in a factual pamphlet and short audio-visual presentation made available last year. Our firm proposals for legislation, which were outlined in the Queen's Speech, have now been summarised in an updated, factual leaflet which is being made available in response to inquiries. Copies have been placed in both Libraries and are available from the Vote Office. An explanatory video is also available on request from CFL Vision, Chalfont grove, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 8TN.
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§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he proposes to amend section 79 of the Local Government Act 1972 so that following his proposed introduction of a national non-domestic rate, ownership or tenancy of property or place of work ceases to be qualifications for election and holding office as a member of a local authority.
§ Mr. Ridley[pursuant to his reply, 21 October 1987]: No.
§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will provide England only versions of figures F1 to F5 and J4 to J8 of Cmnd. 9714 "Paying for Local Government" to take account of (a) 1987–88 community charge figures, (b) the most recent tax-benefit model and (c) most recent other data;
(2) whether he will provide versions of figures Fl to F5 and J4 to J8 of Cmnd. 9714, "Paying for Local Government", showing seperately figures for London, metropolitan areas, and shire areas, to take account of (a) 1987–88 community charge figures, (b) the most recent tax-benefit model and (c) most recent other data;
(3) whether he will provide versions of figures J4, J5, J7 and J8 of Cmnd. 9714, "Paying for Local Government", showing separately figures for pensioner couples, to take account of (a) 1987–88 community charge figures, (b) the most recent tax-benefit model and (c) most recent other data;
(4) whether he will provide versions of figures J4 to J8 of Cmnd. 9714, "Paying for Local Government", showing figures for households with net incomes of under £200 per week, to take account of (a) 1987–88 community charge figures, (b) the most recent tax-benefit model and (c) most recent other data;
(5) whether he will update annexes F and J of Cmnd. 9714, "Paying for Local Government", particularly to take account of (a) 1987–88 community charge figures, (b) the most recent tax-benefit model and (c) most recent other data such as the family expenditure survey.
§ Mr. Ridley[pursuant to his replies, 21 October 1987]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) on Wednesday 21 October.
§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussion he has had with, or what representations he has received from the Audit Commission, about the likely effect of his reform of local government finance on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of local authorities.
§ Mr. Ridley[pursuant to his reply, 21 October 1987]: The Audit Commission submitted informal comments on the Green Paper "Paying for Local Government" Cmnd. 9714 in November 1986. Those comments were considered with the other comments on the Green Paper in reaching the decision, announced on 15 December 1986, that the Government intended to proceed with its proposals.
§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions his officials have had with the Audit Commission about any increase in external audit effort as a result of the introduction of the community charge.
§ Mr. Ridley[pursuant to his reply, 21 October 1987]: None.
§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report those 865W authorities budgeting to make contributions from their housing revenue account to the general rate fund in 1987–88, and express those contributions as a percentage of total expenditure and in terms of their effect on the published 1987–88 community charge calculations.
§ Mr. Ridley[pursuant to his reply, 21 October 1987]: Those authorities reporting contributions from housing revenue account to general rate fund are as follows, with the amounts of the transfers shown in cash, as amounts per adult and as percentages of "total expenditure". This last measure overstates the value of the contributions since "total expenditure" is expressed net of transfers to the rate fund from the housing revenue account. The illustrative community charge projections I have published for each of these authorities is reduced by the "per adult" amount of the reported contributions. I have already stressed that those illustrative figures are not to be taken as predictions of actual community charges.
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Housing revenue account contributions to rate fund revenue account 1987–88 HRA to rate fund HRA to Rf per adult Percentage of total expenditure £000 £ Greater Manchester Wigan 272 1.19 0.2 South Yorkshire Sheffield 27,697 68.69 10.8 Tyne and Wear South Tyneside 1,519 12.47 1.9 Sunderland 992 4.45 0.7 West Yorkshire Wakefield 1,700 7.24 1.2 Greater London Wandsworth 309 1.51 0.3 Barking and Dagenham 6,587 57.78 8.8 Bromley 2,139 9.14 1.8 Harrow 27 0.17 0.0 Havering 2,350 12.74 0.2 Hillingdon 2,281 12.74 2.1 Kingston-upon-Thames 1,242 11.72 2.0 Merton 5,728 44.51 7.5 Redbridge 93 0.52 0.1 Sutton 421 3.18 0.5 Avon Wansdyke 1,150 19.07 51.3 Woodspring 1,195 8.92 14.2 Bedfordshire South Bedfordshire 392 4.85 7.8 Berkshire Bracknell 866 13.06 25.2 Newbury 151 1.56 3.2 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,890 18.55 26.7 Wokingham 205 2.04 5.2 Buckinghamshire South Buckinghamshire 133 2.78 5.8 Cambridgeshire East Cambridgeshire 677 15.42 41.6 Fenland 400 7.53 13.6 South Cambridgeshire 622 7.22 31.7 Cheshire Congleton 340 5.30 9.3
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HRA to rate fund HRA to Rf per adult Percentage of total expenditure £000 £ Cleveland Langbaurgh 4 0.04 0.0 Cornwall Kerrier 100 1.50 2.5 Penwith 64 1.46 1.9 Restormel 79 1.26 2.0 Cumbria Barrow in Furness 62 1.09 1.2 South Lakeland 452 5.91 8.3 Devon East Devon 221 2.44 4.3 Exeter 165 2.13 2.9 North Devon 64 1.03 1.6 Plymouth 199 1.04 1.2 South Hams 84 1.53 2.2 Mid Devon 480 10.43 18.2 Torbay 376 3.96 4.4 West Devon 208 6.06 11.5 Dorset Bournemouth 525 4.29 4.3 Christchurch 100 2.95 4.7 North Dorset 82 2.11 4.8 Poole 146 1.49 2.2 Purbeck 100 2.97 6.7 West Dorset 230 3.58 6.8 Wimborne 296 4.95 9.0 Durham Wear Valley 66 1.33 1.1 East Sussex Brighton 35 0.31 0.2 Wealden 250 2.55 4.4 Essex Brentwood 78 1.41 0.7 Castle Point 61 0.94 1.4 Colchester 1245 11.54 22.0 Epping Forest 2200 24.58 38.1 Maldon 111 2.90 5.5 Rochford 500 8.82 16.6 Southend on Sea 370 2.96 3.1 Gloucestershire Cheltenham 780 11.73 14.7 Tewkesbury 95 1.47 3.9 Hampshire Gosport 50 0.88 1.1 Havant 501 5.71 8.7 Portsmouth 390 2.64 2.1 Hereford and Worcester Redditch 476 9.26 11.1 Worcester 132 2.29 2.6 Hertfordshire Dacorum 900 8.99 12.3 North Hertfordshire 73 0.87 1.3 Three Rivers 145 2.33 3.3 Welwyn Hatfield 677 9.31 9.9 Humberside Beverley 40 0.48 0.8 Isle of Wight South Wight 157 3.66 4.9 Kent Dartford 972 16.56 21.7
HRA to rate fund HRA to Rf per adult Percentage of total expenditure £000 £ Shepway 191 2.74 3.0 Tonbridge and Mailing 800 10.55 16.1 Lancashire Lancaster 239 2.38 3.0 West Lancashire 300 3.78 5.6 Leicestershire Harborough 78 1.62 3.4 Hinckley and Bosworth 95 1.34 3.4 Melton 363 11.17 17.8 Oadby and Wigston 101 2.52 4.5 Lincolnshire Boston 100 2.47 3.3 South Holland 385 7.70 11.3 South Kesteven 525 7.00 10.8 Norfolk Breckland 400 5.24 11.2 South Norfolk 12 0.16 0.4 West Norfolk 150 1.54 2.4 North Yorkshire Hambleton 87 1.49 3.0 Ryedale 250 3.66 7.2 Scarborough 186 2.29 2.7 Oxfordshire Cherwell 247 2.80 6.0 South Oxfordshire 991 9.78 22.7 Vale of White Horse 95 1.16 3.6 West Oxfordshire 250 3.70 8.0 Shropshire Bridgnorth 46 1.17 2.7 North Shropshire 68 1.74 3.3 Somerset Sedgemoor 110 1.54 2.4 West Somerset 55 2.24 3.4 Staffordshire Staffs. Moorlands 650 8.89 15.9 Surrey Epsom and Ewell 1,111 21.28 29.9 Guildford 50 0.52 1.3 Reigate and Banstead 670 7.32 11.1 Runnymede 862 15.37 57.5 Spelthorne 510 7.15 10.2 Tandridge 750 12.63 23.5 Waverley 223 2.62 4.5 Warwickshire Stratford-on-Avon 35 0.44 0.8 West Sussex Arun 200 1.95 2.7 Chichester 390 4.83 8.5 Horsham 220 2.77 5.0 Worthing 71 0.91 1.0 Wiltshire West Wiltshire 251 3.22 6.8
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each local authority the number of dwellings where the rates paid are equal to the community charge per person, using the figures from the exemplifications placed in the Library since 11 June.
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§ Mr. Howard[pursuant to his reply, 21 October 1987]: The information available to me is for the numbers of domestic hereditaments in the following rateable value bands:
- Less than £75
- £75–£100
- £100–£125
- £125–£150
- £150–£400
- £400+
It is not, therefore, possible to say how many properties in each area have rate bills at or below the illustrative community charges for those areas.