HC Deb 25 April 1940 vol 360 cc382-5W
Sir H. Williams

asked the Home Secretary whether he can now furnish the promised statement of expenditure on air-raid precautions in the Metropolitan area?

Sir J. Anderson

The following table (cols. 2 and 3) shows, for the London County Council, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of each Metropolitan borough, particulars submitted by these authorities purporting to show the gross expenditure of a non-capital nature on air-raid precautions estimated to have been, or to be, incurred for the financial years 1939–40 and 1940–41. The figures exclude loan charges payable on previous years' capital expenditure. No account is taken in these figures of the pay of whole-time volunteers

— Year ended 31st March, 1940. Year ending 31st March, 1941.
Gross estimated cost excluding loan charges. Gross estimated cost excluding loan charges. Standard rate of grant. Additional grant on expenditure in excess of a penny rate left to be borne locally.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
£ £ Per cent. Per cent.
London County Council … 1,937,370* 3,275,000 60 75
Common Council of the City of London. 68,450 65,500 60 75
Councils of the Metropolitan Boroughs of:
Battersea … … … 32,431 41,000 70 85
Bermondsey … … 44,384 31,000 70 85
Bethnal Green … … 36,517 36,500 75 85
Camberwell … … 84,167 89,000 65 75
Chelsea … … … 51,582 37,000 60 75
Deptford … … … 60,000 48,000 70 85
Finsbury … … … 41,944 33,000 65 75
Fulham … … … 49,326 63,500 65 75
Greenwich … … 27,117 21,500 65 75
Hackney … … … 61,000 77,000 70 85
Hammersmith … … 52,707 92,500 65 75
Hampstead … … 60,176 51,000 60 75
Holborn … … … 47,258 43,500 60 75
Islington … … … 125,000 80,000 70 85
Kensington … … 74,049 60,000 60 75
Lambeth … … … 82,528 68,500 65 75
Lewisham … … … 54,259 74,500 65 75
Paddington … … 84,326 80,000 60 75
Poplar … … … 89,518 63,500 75 85
St. Marylebone … … 72,397 67,000 60 75
St. Pancras … … 39,655 32,000 60 75
Shoreditch … … 18,334 11,500 70 85
Southwark … … 61,817 87,000 70 85
Stepney … … … 41,641 58,500 70 85
Stoke Newington … … 29,313 34,000 65 75
Wandsworth … … 88,792 119,000 60 75
Westminster … … 134,460 170,500 60 75
Woolwich … … … 40,350 30,000 65 75
Totals … … 3,690,868 5,041,000 — —
* Including £1,147,120 on Air Raid Fire Precautions Services.
†Including £1,725,000 on Air Raid Fire Precautions Services.

These figures are compiled, as stated, from estimates furnished by the individual authorities and would appear in some cases to include expenditure which is of a capital nature but which has been charged or which it is proposed to charge to revenue. It is not possible to say precisely how much of the estimated expenditure shown in the above table will be met from grants until particulars of the actual expenditure have been audited by the District Auditor and examined in the Department, but the rates of grant applicable to the approved expenditure of these authorities are shown in cols. 4

or the cost of requisitioning of premises and vehicles: these expenses are met from Exchequer funds.

and 5. The gross amount of expenditure of a capital nature incurred by the local authorities mentioned in col. 1 of the statement for the purpose of air-raid precautions for the year ended 31st March, 1940, is estimated in returns furnished by them to have amounted to £4,033,320. The corresponding figure for the year ending 31st March, 1941, is estimated at £3,452,000. Any expenditure of a capital nature which has been or is being met from revenue and included in the table set out in paragraph (a) above is not included in these figures. The figures also do not include the cost of materials. purchased locally by the local authorities for domestic surface shelters and recouped in full by the Exchequer. The expenditure incurred or to be incurred from Exchequer funds in the provision of appliances, etc. (including the cost of local purchases of domestic shelter materials) is estimated as follows:—

1939–40 £3,500,000
1940–41 £950,000

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