HC Deb 01 February 1974 vol 868 cc178-9W
Mr. Wellbeloved

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what the total expenditure by local authorities in England and Wales amounted to in each of the financial years from 1946 to the latest available date; and what percentage of this expenditure was met by the Exchequer in the form of grants.

Mr. Graham Page

The rate fund expenditure of local authorities in England and Wales and the proportion met from Government grants was:

Year Rate Fund expenditure £ million Proportion met from Government Grants Per cent.
1946–47 491 48.5
1947–18 545 46.7
1948–49 532 50.2
1949–50 553 49.5
1950–51 577 48.9
1951–52 651 49.9
1952–53 706 50.1
1953–54 744 50.8
1954–55 800 51.2
1955–56 872 52.2
1956–57 996 52.1
1957–58 1,086 51.8
1958–59 1,164 51.9
1959–60 1,259 51.5
1960–61 1,362 51.0
1961–62 1,505 51.0
1962–63 1,670 50.4

Year Rate Fund expenditure £million Proportion met from Government Grants Per cent.
1963–64 1,831 52.1
1964–65 1,986 51.9
1965–66 2,270 52.1
1966–67 2,497 52.2
1967–68 2,766 53.9
1968–69 2,947 54.2
1969–70 3,273 55.7
1970–71 3,740 56.8
1971–72 4,303 57.3

Notes:

  1. 1. The expenditure figures exclude capital expenditure and housing expenditure except in so far as they were met from the general rate funds of authorities. They are net of local authority income from fees, charges etc.
  2. 2. The grant figures exclude housing subsidies
  3. 3. Details for 1972–73 are not yet available.
  4. 4. Procedures for the collection of financial information from local authorities were altered in 1969–70 and the figures from that year are, therefore, not directly comparable with the earlier years.

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