§ 57. Mr. Carterasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give an estimate of the net financial loss in terms of public funds to the city of Birmingham as a result of the Chancellor's cut-back in public spending during next year and the three subsequent years.
§ Mr. Graham PageThere will be no such loss to public funds. Local authorities have been asked to spend less on capital projects and to reduce the growth in their current expenditure next year. This, together with the higher rate of Exchequer grant that we have just announced, should ease the burden that would otherwise have fallen on ratepayers.