HC Deb 22 July 1975 vol 896 cc156-9W
Mr. Sproat

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the number of employees of all local authorities in England and Wales at the latest available date; and what were the figures 10 and 20 years ago, respectively.

Mr. Oakes

Figures published by the Department of Employment show a total of 2,443,000 employees, including police forces, in local government in England and Wales at mid-June 1974. The corresponding figures were 1,772,000 in 1964 and 1,326,000 in 1954.

Mr. Biffen

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment by what statutory authority he will be informed of the recruitment, staffing levels, and wage and salary settlements of individual local authorities to ensure compliance with the policy contained in Command Paper No. 6151.

Mr. John Silkin

There is no statutory requirement on local authorities to inform my right hon. Friend about the recruitment and staffing levels and wage and salary settlements. However, I am confident that local authorities will continue to co-operate with the Government by supplying essential information and that they will abide by the policy set out in the White Paper "The Attack on Inflation".

Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the total number of staff employed by local authorities in the United Kingdom for each year since 1960; and if he will show how these figures were affected by NHS and water supply reorganisation in 1973.

Mr. Oakes

The information is as follows:

000's
1960 1,741
1961 1,788
1962 1,855
1963 1,922
1964 2,000
1965 2,063
1966 2,163
1967 2,253
1968 2,330
1969 2,388
1970 2,431
1971 2,506
1972 2,624
1973 2,741
1974 2,705

The figure for 1974 excludes a net total of about 48,000 staff transferred to the NHS, and about 29,000 transferred to water authorities on reorganisation in England and Wales on 1st April 1974. It also excludes 38,000 health staff and 2,000 employed on water services in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest official estimate of the net increase in local government staff which has taken place in England and Wales since April 1973, after taking into account transfer of NHS and water supply personnel.

Mr. Oakes

No figures are available at April 1973. On the basis of those published by the Department of Employment showing the number of employees in local government at mid-June each year, the total for England and Wales, including police forces, was 2,454,000 in 1973 and 2,443,000 in 1974.

It is estimated that over these 12 months there was a net increase in local authority staff, after allowing for transfers to and from the NHS, to water supply, school health services and passenger transport executives, of about 80,000.

Mr. Rippon

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the increase in local government staff, manual and non-manual, between 1964 and the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr. John Silkin

Figures published by the Department of Employment show that at mid-June 1964, 1,772,000 manual and non-manual staff, including police forces, were employed in local government in England and Wales. The figure at mid-June 1974 was 2,443,000, showing an increase of 671,000 over the 10-year period although it should be noted that with effect from 1st April 1974 an estimated 90,000 employees were transferred from local government to NHS, water and passenger transport executives on reorganisation. All these figures include a substantial proportion of part-time workers. It is not possible to give separate totals for manual and non-manual staff.

Mr. Rippon

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will institute a special inquiry into local government manpower in the context of the current expenditure of local authorities on wages and salaries.

Mr. John Silkin

No. The Government and local authority associations have already jointly instituted a system for watching manpower trends in local government as part of the rate support grant settlement for 1975–76. The Department's Circular No. 30–75—a copy of which I am sending to the right hon. and learned Member—describes the arrangements which will focus attention, at national level, upon changes in the total workforce and in the main components of that total.