§ Mr. Iain Millsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the effect of the Government's 1980–81 rate support grant for Solihull metropolitan borough council in relation to other councils in the Midlands and in similar areas elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. King[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1981, c. 233] :The amounts of needs and resources element of rate support grant payable to Solihull metropolitan borough council, other councils in the West Midlands metropolitan county, and all other metropolitan district councils for 1980–81, under the Rate Support Grant Increase No 2 Order, are set out below. They exclude payments of domestic element in 1980–81, which is payable to domestic ratepayers as a reduction of 18.5 in the pound.
Authority Needs Re sources Total Total per Head of Population £ million £ million £ million £ WEST MIDLANDS Solihull 17.40 8.78 26.18 132 Birmingham 156.83 28.97 185.80 180 Coventry 40.96 19.58 60.54 178 Dudley 22.62 11.65 34.27 116 Sandwell 40.52 6.35 46.87 153 Walsall 31.68 11.36 43.04 163 Wolverhampton 38.07 6.82 44.89 174 TYNE AND WEAR Gateshead 27.70 22.65 50.35 237 Newcastle Upon Tyne 39.21 19.31 58.52 201 N. Tyneside 25.99 20.34 46.33 240 S. Tyneside 27.66 17.11 44.77 275 Sunderland 38.78 34.82 73.60 245 W. YORKSHIRE Bradford 64.25 47.60 111.85 242 Calderdale 24.68 21.44 46.12 244 Kirklees 43.06 43.79 86.85 229 Leeds 85.79 46.56 132.35 183 Wakefield 33.92 27.82 61.74 199 GREATER MANCHESTER Bolton 35.24 19.84 55.08 212 Bury 18.95 16.10 35.05 195 Manchester 102.46 22.39 124.85 261 Oldham 30.43 20.43 50.86 228 Rochdale 30.53 20.95 51.48 246 Salford 44.21 16.71 60.92 241 Stockport 29.56 16.25 45.81 157 Tameside 29.04 21.86 50.90 233 Trafford 24.61 3.27 27.88 124 Wigan 33.07 33.23 66.30 213 MERSEYSIDE Knowsley 29.55 12.78 42.33 236 Liverpool 103.05 30.65 133.70 257 St. Helens 21.61 16.45 38.06 202 Sefton 37.91 19.12 57.03 190 Wirral 41.63 24.66 66.29 194 S. YORKSHIRE Barnsley 27.24 31.02 58.26 263 Doncaster 35.24 33.00 68.24 238 Rotherham 29.95 30.14 60.09 242 Sheffield 63.47 48.64 112.11 206
§ Mr. Iain Millsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make clear the detailed calculation of the block grant for the rate support grant settlement for Solihull metropolitan council in comparison with the Birmingham city council.
§ Mr. King[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1981, c. 233]: The block grant entitlement of each authority in England will be calculated in accordance with the principles set out in the Rate Support Grant Report (England) 1980, which the House approved on 14 January. The entitlements of Solihull borough council and 285W Birmingham city council will be calculated in accordance with these principles and will depend on the level of each council's expenditure in relation to its grant-related expenditure assessments.
§ Mr. Iain Millsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will outline the details of the Government's decisions on finance in respect of the rate support grant for the Solihull metropolitan borough, giving the effect of his reductions in local authority expenditure in late 1980 and in the current rate support grant settlement combined.
§ Mr. King[pursuant to his reply, 6 February 1981, c. 233]: We have asked local authorities to reduce the volume of their current expenditure in 1981–82 by 3.1 per cent. compared with 1980–81, which means spending 5.6 per cent. less in real terms than in 1978–79. We have reduced the Exchequer grant percentage in 1981–82 for England and Wales by 1 per cent. to 60 per cent. If Solihull borough council and all other authorities plan expenditure in line with this volume of expenditure and the RSG settlement assumptions about increases in pay and prices, Solihull council's block grant entitlement for 1981–82 would be about £24 million.