§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the wage/salary component of local government expenditure for each year since 1960, expressed as a percentage 223W of total local government expenditure, and related to the total number of staff involved.
§ Mr. OakesThe wage salary component of total local government expenditure in England and Wales for each year since 1960 related to the number of staff is as follows:
Number of Staff† Per cent* 000's 1960–61 37 1,531 1961–62 36 1,576 1962–63 36 1,638 1963–64 35 1,698 1964–65 33 1,772 1965–66 36 1,827 1966–67 36 1,919 1967–68 36 2,001 1968–69 36 2,069 1969–70 34 2,124 1970–71 33 2,162 1971–72 35 2,234 1972–73 35 2,340 1973–74 Not yet available 2,454 * For 1965–66 and subsequent years the employers' share of National Insurance and superannuation contributions is included. From 1969–70 the data was collected by a revised system of returns and the figures do not necessarily bear a direct comparison with those of earlier years. † Figures published annually by the Department of Employment showing the total number of staff of all categories employed by local authorities in England and Wales, including police forces, in June of each year.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest official estimate of the total increase in salary costs in local government—over and above normal pay agreements—which occurred between April 1973 and April 1974.
§ Mr. OakesNo separate estimate has been made by my Department of the cost of staff for local authorities in 1974–75. However, a report published at the end of May by the Local Authorities' Conditions of Service Advisory Board covering a limited number of categories of local government employment indicated that within those categories there was, at 1st April 1974 and after making adjustmentsinter alia for a general pay increase in July 1973, an estimated increase of approximately 9.4 per cent. in salary costs over the figures for 1st April 1973.
The LACSAB survey was concerned with local authorities in England and 224W Wales outside Greater London and was confined to chief executives, chief officers and their deputies and to staffs in the administrative, professional, technical and clerical grades. It did not extend to other groups, such as police, firemen, manual workers and teachers, where changes are likely to have been smaller.