§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she can now announce new financial and administrative arrangements for voluntary youth service, community centre and village hall capital projects; and whether she will make a statement.
§ Mrs. ThatcherYes. After helpful consultation with the bodies concerned I have decided, with effect from 1st April next, to transfer responsibility for the administration of such local projects from my Department to individual local education authorities in England and Wales.
For the first two years, where a local authority is willing to make a grant to a voluntary project my Department will, subject to resources being made available by Parliament, make a grant of twice the authority's contribution but not exceeding 50 per cent. of the total cost of the project. I am planning that from 1st April, 1974, the Government's contribution should equal that of the authority up to one-third of a project's total cost, but I shall not take a final decision until the future arrangements for local authority finance have been settled. Detailed administrative arrangements will be announced in a circular to be issued in the autumn.
The level of total Government grant in this sector will be maintained in real terms. Any savings resulting from the new arrangements will be channelled into developmental work and, via the urban programme or otherwise, into areas of high social need.
Where local authorities are prepared to support urgent applications which have hitherto been held up, there is no reason why work should not proceed in anticipation of a grant under next year's arrangements.