§ 43. Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will meet a deputation of local authority treasurers from Cornwall to discuss the rate support grant.
§ Mr. OakesWe have already received deputations from the district councils of Caradon and Penwith. The hon. Member has also written to me about the effect of the rate support grant settlement on rates in north Cornwall and Restormel. I am, therefore, fully aware of the strong feelings of local authorities in Cornwall on this subject.
Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, in his review of the rate support grant for the next financial year, he will consider a needs element in those areas where unemployment is above the national average.
§ Mr. John SilkinI shall be examining a variety of possible indicators of social need in reviewing the rate support grant arrangements. While I have not ruled out the use of unemployment figures, there are severe technical problems. The data are not available by local authority areas, and are subject to marked seasonal fluctuations in some parts of the country.
Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what will be the total reduction in the rate support grant in the county of Durham as a result of his decision to replace the variable domestic element by a flat rate of 13p; and what the loss of grant will be in Darlington.
§ Mr. OakesThe estimated reduction in grant to the county of Durham as a 357W result of the decision to replace the variable domestic element by a flat rate of 13p is some £874,000. The corresponding reduction for the Darlington district is £199,000.