HC Deb 26 January 1977 vol 924 cc606-7W
Mr. John H. Osborn

asked the Secretary of State for Transport how many letters he has written to, how many delegations and deputations he has received from, and how many warnings he has given to the South Yorkshire County Council about the consequences of running passenger transport in deficit.

Mr. William Rodgers

In December 1975 the county council was warned that the 1977–78 transport supplementary grant settlement would reflect the extent to which it complied with the Government's revenue support objectives during 1976–77. My hon. Friend the then Minister for Transport, emphasised the same point when he visited South Yorkshire in April last year. He subsequently wrote to all the metropolitan counties and the GLC in July seeking a reconsideration of their revenue support policies.

In the course of determining the settlement for 1977–78 I wrote to the leaders of all the metropolitan counties and the GLC requesting a review of those estimates in their transport policies and programmes. I further explained the Government's position in two subsequent letters to the South Yorkshire County Council and also when I met a deputation from the council towards the end of October.