HC Deb 15 January 1974 vol 867 cc83-4W
Mr. Joel Barnett

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average income per head (a) in the Greater Manchester area, (b) in the county of Lancashire, and (c) and in England in the years since 1945.

Mr. Nott

Estimates are available for some only of the years since 1945. These are given in the table below:

AVERGE INCOME PER HEAD
South-East Lancashire Conurbation Lancashire England
£p.a. £p.a. £p.a.
1949–50 160 170
1959–60 300 290 310
1964–65 390 370 410
1965–66 430 410 450
1966–67 440 430 460
1967–68 440 440 480
1968–69 490 450 520
1969–70 460 480 540
1970–71 510 540 620
1971–72 540 570 670

The South-East Lancashire conurbation consists of Manchester and the surrounding towns. The full definition will be found in the Abstract of Regional Statistics 1973.

The income figures used in calculating these averages are derived from the surveys of personal incomes for the years shown. They exclude non-taxable receipts, such as certain national insurance benefits as well as income below the exemption limit for tax. That limit has varied as follows: 1949–50, £135; 1959–60, £180 ; 1964–65 to 1968–69, £275 ; 1969–70, £330; 1970–71 and 1971–72, £420.

Up to and including 1964–65 the income of taxpayers was allocated to the regions in which their tax was assessed, except for the income of civil servants, the Forces and the Merchant Navy, which was included in the figure for England but not otherwise allocated to regions. Since 1965–66 the income of civil servants has as far as possible been allocated to the regions in which they reside and since 1969–70 the income of most other taxpayers has also been allocated on the basis of place of residence. The income of self-employed persons, however, continues to be allocated on a place of assessment basis and there has been no change in the treatment of the Forces, the Merchant Navy and those civil servants whose incomes cannot be allocated according to their place of residence.

The population figures used relate to mid-1949, mid-1959, etc., and include all individuals of all ages whether they have an income or not.

The estimates for 1971–72 are provisional.