§ Mr. Ness Edwardsasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs in view of the growth of unemployment in the valleys of South Wales, if he will request local authorities in the valleys to put forward schemes for the improvement of basic amenities which would rank for grants under the Local Employment Act, 1960.
§ Sir K. JosephLocal authorities in England and Wales were urged in Circular No. 30/60 issued from my Ministry in April, 1960, to take advantage of the provisions of Section 5 of the Local Employment Act, 1960, which enable grant to be paid towards the cost of acquiring derelict, neglected or unsightly land in development districts, and towards the cost of works necessary for bringing such land into use, or for improving amenities. Since the circular was issued I have made it known in answers to several Questions that I would most certainly welcome more applications for grant under this section.
Schemes for such basic services as water supply and sewerage put forward under Section 7 of the Act have been found to give rise to more difficulty than those concerning derelict land; and while I am prepared to adopt as helpful an attitude as possible to any such applications I do not think that the circumstances justify any general request to local authorities to put forward schemes of this character.