§ 95 and 60. Mr. Hefferasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) what steps he is taking to prevent local authorities from selling council houses especially in areas of serious housing need;
(2) whether he intends to introduce legislation to prevent local authorities from selling council houses in areas of serious housing need.
§ Mr. GreenwoodI can, under the existing law, modify or withdraw at any time the general consent to the sale of council houses. I regard it as imprudent and irresponsible for local authorities to make such sales, if they significantly deplete their stocks of houses for renting in areas of serious housing need. I keep the situation under continuous review so that I can take action where this is justified.
§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to require local authorities to send him details of any sale of 432W council houses, including the length of their housing waiting list, and the price paid for each house sold together with its replacement cost; and whether he will publish such a list in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. MacCollLocal authorities supply monthly totals of council houses sold and my right hon. Friend does not propose at this stage to require them to submit more detailed information. Quarterly totals for England and Wales are published each quarter in Housing Statistics. The totals of council houses sold in the first eight months of this year are as follows:
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SALES OF COUNCIL HOUSES JANUARY—AUGUST, 1967 ENGLAND AND WALES COUNTY COUNCILS Cornwall … … … 1 Northamptonshire … … … 3 COUNTY BOROUGHS Birmingham … … … 1,276 Brighton … … … 91 Bristol … … … 85 Burton-on-Trent … … … 3 Canterbury … … … 1 Chester … … … 5 Darlington … … … 13 Dudley … … … 2 Exeter … … … 3 Hartlepools … … … 6 Newport … … … 13 Northampton … … … 2 Nottingham … … … 1 Plymouth … … … 2 Reading … … … 61 Southampton … … … 1 Southport … … … 10 Walsall … … … 44 Worcester … … … 13 BOROUGHS Abingdon … … … 8 Altrincham … … … 2 Beverley … … … 1 Brackley … … … 2 Brighouse … … … 1 Cheltenham … … … 1 Chippenham … … … 3 Chipping Norton … … … 1 Christchurch … … … 5 Crosby … … … 5 Dunstable … … … 3 Ellesmere Port … … … 22 Folkestone … … … 1 Goole … … … 1 Harrogate … … … 4 Hartlepool … … … 1 Hereford … … … 11 Hertford … … … 4 Heywood … … … 4 Keighley … … … 2 Kendal … … … 31 Lampeter … … … 2 Lancaster … … … 9 Lyme Regis … … … 1 Newbury … … … 3
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Oswestry 1 Poole … 3 Pudsey … 3 Richmond, Yorkshire … 5 Ripon … 2 Rochester … 2 Royal Leamington Spa … 1 St. Albans … 11 Stourbridge … 31 Tewkesbury … 2 Truro … 7 Weymouth and Melcombe Regis … 2 LONDON BOROUGH Islington … 2 URBAN DISTRICTS Abercarn … 1 Alnwick … 2 Bakewell … 2 Bethesda … 1 Biggleswade … 1 Bingley … 1 Brentwood … 1 Brigg … 2 Brixham … 3 Burnham-on-Crouch … 5 Burry Port … 1 Burton Latimer … 2 Carlton … 13 Cheshunt … 37 Consett … 1 Crompton … 6 Cuckfield … 2 Dawley … 1 Epping … 1 Frimley and Camberley … 23 Heanor … 2 Horncastle … 1 Keswick … 1 Knottingley … 7 Long Eaton … 2 Lymm … 4 Malvern … 11 Mold … 2 Northwich … 18 Old Fletton … 6 Otley … 5 Penarth … 1 Penistone … 1 Penmaenmawr … 68 Presteigne … 2 Portland … 1 Rhyl … 5 Royston … 2 Saltburn and Marske … 8 Sheerness … 2 Shildon … 1 Stanley … 16 Stocksbridge … 6 Swanscombe … 2 Tickhill … 2 Uttoxeter … 11 Walton-le-Dale … 2 Witham … 1 Witney … 1 Wymondham … 1 RURAL DISTRICTS Abingdon … 3 Belper … 6 Blackwell … 1 Braintree … 2 Bullington … 2
Chorley 1 Deudraeth 1 Doncaster 2 Driffield 1 Glanford Brigg 5 Goole 2 Gower 2 Hartismere 1 Horncastle 1 Horsham 2 Langport 1 Lunesdale 1 Lydney 1 Magor and St. Mellons 7 Mailing 1 Neath 5 Newent 2 North Cotswold 2 Northwich 4 Pontardawe 9 Runcorn 24 Saffron Walden 4 St. Germans 1 Shepton Mallet 1 Southwell 1 Stockton 1 Strood 4 Tiverton 5 Tutbury 3 Uttoxeter 5 Warmley 1 Wellingborough 1 Wing 8 Number of local authorities who sold council houses in January-August, 1967 147 Number of council houses sold in January-August 2,258
§ Mr. Hefferasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what effect he estimates the sale of council houses will have on subsidies to the authorities concerned, and what effect this is likely to have on council rents.
§ Mr. GreenwoodWhen a council house is sold any subsidy payable on that house is stopped. I cannot give an estimate of the effect of sales on subsidies or rents to the authorities concerned as this depends on many factors, including the numbers, types and age of the houses sold. The average subsidy payment per council house in England and Wales was about £18 15s. in 1966–67.