Economic Development (Hansard, 17 November 1992)

§ Mr. Denham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to change the procedures used to designate scheduled authorities for the purposes of the Local Government (Promotion of Economic Development) (Amendment) Regulations 1992, to ensure that scheduled authorities are those local authorities which have the highest levels of unemployment.

§ Mr. Robin Squire
No. Those local authorities designated by the Local Government (Promotion of Economic Development) (Amendment) Regulations 1992 which were not previously designated in the Local Government (Promotion of Economic Development) Regulations 1990, qualified on the basis that, in whole or in part, they fell within a travel-to-work area with an unemployment rate above the—narrow base—national average for England of 9.8 per cent. for the period from April 1991 to March 1992. The list of scheduled authorities will be reviewed again in the light of the unemployment statistics for April 1992 to March 1993.

§ Mr. Denham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many English local authorities, which were designated scheduled authorities for the purposes of the Local Government (Promotion of Economic Development) (Amendment) Regulations 1992, have higher levels of unemployment than(a) Southampton and (b) Gosport; and if he will list them and their current levels of unemployment.

§ Mr. Robin Squire
Fifty-six local authorities were newly designated as scheduled authorities under the Local Government (Promotion of Economic Development) (Amendment) Regulations 1992, on the basis that each authority, in whole or in part, fell within a travel-to-work area with unemployment above the—narrow base—national average for England of 9.8 per cent. for the period from April 1991 to March 1992. Southampton city council and Gosport borough council did not fall within such a travel-to-work area. The scheduled authorities added by the regulations are:

In the county of Dorset

Bournemouth Borough Council

Christchurch Borough Council

East Dorset District Council

In the county of East Sussex

Brighton Borough Council

Lewes District Council

Hastings Borough Council

Hove Borough Council

Wealden District Council

In the county of Essex

Basildon District Council

Brentwood District Council

Castle Point Borough Council

Chelmsford Borough Council

Epping Forest District Council

Maldon District Council

Rochford District Council

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

Thurrock Borough Council

In Greater London

The Common Council of The Corporation of London

The council of the—

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

London Borough of Barnet

London Borough of Bexley
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London Borough of Bromley

London Borough of Camden

London Borough of Croydon

London Borough of Enfield

London Borough of Harrow

London Borough of Havering

London Borough of Merton

London Borough of Redbridge

London Borough of Sutton

London Borough of Waltham Forest

London Borough of Westminster

In the county of Hampshire

East Hampshire District Council

Fareham Borough Council

Havant Borough Council

New Forest District Council

Portsmouth City Council

Winchester City Council

In the county of Hertfordshire

Broxbourne Borough Council

Hertsmere Borough Council

In the county of Kent

Dartford Borough Council

Gillingham Borough Council

Gravesham Borough Council

Maidstone Borough Council

Rochester upon Medway City Council

Sevenoaks District Council

Swale Borough Council

Tonbridge and Mailing District Council

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

In the county of Surrey

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council

Reigate and Banstead Borough Council

Tandridge District Council

In the county of West Sussex

Adur District Council

Chichester District Council

Horsham District Council

Mid Sussex District Council