§ Mr. G. M. Thomsonasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what contributions have been made by New Town Development Corporations under Section 11 of the New Towns Act, 1946, to local authorities or statutory undertakers for each year since 1946.
§ Mr. H. BrookeSection 11 of the New Towns Act, 1946, authorises contributions by development corporations towards expenditure incurred or to be incurred by local authorities or statutory undertakers in the performance, in relation to the new town, of any of their statutory functions. But as a measure of the extent to which corporations furnish financial assistance32W to local authorities and statutory undertakers, a list of cash contributions under Section 11 is misleading. For example, where a local authority is responsible for sewerage, any financial assistance to it from the development corporation would take the form of contributions under Section 11; but where the corporation has assumed responsibility for sewerage, as in most cases they have, it incurs the expenditure under its general powers. Also in constructing main roads, corporations incur under their general powers expenditure which might otherwise fall on the highway authority. Some corporations have also provided financial help by undertaking specific works in lieu of making a money contribution.
The following statement of expenditure under Section 11 includes money contributions and expenditure on specific works in lieu of such contributions, but does not include other expenditure on works. No such contributions were made earlier than in 1948–49—
Year Total Contributions £ 1948–49 1,826 1949–50 5,552 1950–51 10,398 1951–52 50,654 1952–53 24,684 1953–54 83,315 1954–55 196,469 1955–56 108,601 1956–57 231,005 1957–58 204,803 £917,307