§ Mr. A. Lewisasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether, taking 1951 as being equal to 100, he will publish in HANSARD a table of figures giving the percentage annual rise or fall to date in local authority rates.
§ Sir K. JosephYes. The table below expresses the total rate income of local authorities in England and Wales in terms of a 1951 basis of 100. The figures are misleading; they do not mean that the average ratepayer has paid the increases shown. They make no allowance for the increase in population over this period. Nor do they allow for the decline in the purchasing power of 47W money. As a proportion of gross national product rates rose from 2.8 per cent. in 1951 to 3.8 per cent. in 1963; the corresponding figure for 1938 was 4 per cent. Following is the table:
LOCAL AUTHORITY INCOME FROM RATES, OR FROM PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF RATES, ENGLAND AND WALES Year Index Number Percentage Increase over preceding year 1951–52 … 100 — 1952–53 … 105.7 5.7 1953–54 … 118.3 11.9 1954–55 … 123.7 4.6 1955–56 … 126.9 2.5 1956–57 … 154.8 22.0 1957–58 … 166.5 7.6 1958–59 … 174.7 4.9 1959–60 … 195.8 12.0 1960–61 … 210.1 7.3 1961–62 … 225.4 7.3 1962–63 … 251.0* 11.3* 1963–64 … 276.4* 10.1* * Estimated.