§ Mr. Raisonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a breakdown of the expenditure covered by town and country planning in Appendix A, page 13 of the Rate Support Grant Order 1975, specifying in particular any expenditure expected to arise from the Community Land Act.
§ Mr. CroslandForecasts of expenditure reflect the pattern of past spending by local authorities. But rate support grant is a block grant given in aid of services generally, and, subject only to their statutory obligations, local authorities are free to choose how to spend it. If past patterns of expenditure are repeated the £201 million—at November 1975 prices—forecast for town and country planning in the Rate Support Grant Order 1975 will be divided approximately equally between town and country planning projects including town centre redevelopments, and planning administration, i.e., development control and plan-making. Expenditure by local authorities under the Community Land Act will not fall on the rate fund; accordingly no allowance is made for it in the RSG Order.