§ Mr. John GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what resources he will make available to authorities that have been or are to be reorganised on 1 April 1995, 1996, or 1997 for reorganisation costs incurred by them in 1996–97; and if he will make a statement. [9667]
367W
§ Mr. CurryOn 20 October I invited authorities that have been or are to be reorganised on or before 1 April 1997 to submit estimates of the amount of expenditure they expect to incur on transitional costs of reorganisation in 1996–97. On the basis,inter alia, of the information provided by the authorities, I have decided the maximum amounts to allocate towards such costs in 1996–97. I have given priority to authorities to be reorganised in 1996. The majority of authorities to be reorganised in 1997 asked for allocations in respect of redundancy to be deferred until the mid-year review in October 1996 and the allocations listed, for those authorities, are not intended to cover redundancy costs.
The amounts are as follows:
Maximum amounts: £ thousand rounded Authority 1996–97 Cumulative total 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97 1995 Reorganisation Isle of Wight Council 500 4,437 1996 Reorganisations Hartlepool Borough Council 2,150 5,898 Redcar and Cleveland Council 3,400 6,037 Middlesbrough Borough Council 2,750 5,104 Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council 3,250 6,678 North West Somerset Council 3,000 6,250 South Gloucestershire Council 3,500 5,300 North Lincolnshire Council 3,500 5,300 North East Lincolnshire Council 4,000 5,900 North Yorkshire County Council 400 1,400 Selby District Council 100 610 1997 Reorganisations Bedfordshire County Council 300 Luton Borough Council 3,250 Milton Keynes Borough Council 2,500 Derbyshire County Council 300 Derby City Council 2,500 Bournemouth Borough Council 2,500 Poole Borough Council 2,500 Durham County Council 300 Darlington Borough Council 2,500 East Sussex County Council 300 Brighton Borough Council 350 Hove Borough Council 350 Hampshire County Council 300 Portsmouth City Council 2,500 Southampton City Council 2,500 Staffordshire County Council 300 Stoke on Trent City Council 2,500 Wiltshire County Council 100 Thamesdown Borough Council 2,500 Buckinghamshire and Dorset county councils did not submit bids. The councils of the East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull City, Bristol City, Bath and North-east Somerset and York district are being asked to reconsider whether the reorganisations in their area could be implemented more economically. If they submit revised bids by the end of January, they will be considered and allocations made during February.
368WI shall make a further announcement about allocations to authorities for which reorganisation orders have not yet been made.