HC Deb 04 April 1979 vol 965 cc857-8W
Mr. Costain

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to remedy the imbalance in the rate support grant needs element whereby non-metropolitan counties have 62.4 per cent. of the population but only 51.6 per cent of the grant, whereas London with only 14.2 per cent. of the population received 22 per cent. of the grant.

Mr. Shore

No. The main purpose of the needs element of the rate support grant is to compensate authorities for differences in their expenditure needs per head. Expenditure needs depend not only on the size of the population, but also on the intensity of economic and social problems, generally considerably more severe in the older industrial areas, with which local authorities are faced.

Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the percentage change in the payment of rate support grant to London boroughs in each year since 1974.

Mr. Guy Barnett

The year-on-year percentage increases in the amount of rate support grant payable to the City of London and the London boroughs are as follows:

Per cent.
1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79
on on on on
1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78
24.6 19.0 4.1 30.2