HC Deb 04 December 1978 vol 959 c544W
Mr. Michael Morris

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the percentage increase in total number of local government employees for each year since 1974, and the percentage increase in the total local authorities' salary and wages bill in each year since 1974.

Mr. Shore

The table below shows the percentage change in the total number of local government employees in England and Wales between June and June of each year since 1974:

Percentage change
1974–1975 +4.6
1975–1976 +0.7
1976–1977 -0.7
1977–1978 +0.5

The numbers of police civilians, traffic wardens, police cadets, agency, magistrates' courts and probation staffs are now collected by the central and local government joint manpower watch but were not covered in the surveys prior to 1975. They are therefore excluded from the table in order to provide a broadly comparable set of figures.

The percentage increase in local authority expenditure on wages and salaries was as follows:

Increase between:
1974 and 1975 +47.4
1975 and 1976 +11.1
1976 and 1977 +8.2