§ 27. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will make a statement on the decision to build a bridge at a cost of £103 million across the river Thames to connect the boroughs of Newham and Greenwich; what discussions he has had with the local authorities and interested parties concerning this; what have been their responses; and whether he will take no further action until such time as a public inquiry has been held and its report and recommendation have been published.
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Expenditure accepted for TSGfor 1982–83 as percentages of bids (all figures rounded to nearest whole number) County Revenue Support Road Maintenance Other Capital Total Bus etc. Rail Current GLC *94 95 100 85 90 GMC 100 97 100 100 56 88 Merseyside 58 97 96 100 75 78 Tyne/Wear 75 92 97 100 75 85 South Yorkshire †51 98 81 100 60 67 West Midlands 26 82 87 100 65 60 West Yorkshire 47 99 84 100 64 68 Total Mets 52 95 90 100 64 73 Avon 36 — 98 100 86 84 Bedford 100 — 100 100 97 99 Berkshire 79 — 96 100 93 94 Buckingham 100 — 100 100 100 100 Cambridge 100 — 100 100 85 93 Cheshire 81 — 98 100 92 93 Cleveland 29 — 98 100 68 70 Cornwall 100 — 100 100 100 100 Cumbria 100 — 100 100 100 100
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo final decision to build a bridge across the Thames and provide connecting road links can be taken before the proper statutory procedures have been completed. I am currently considering the results of the public consultation set in train last October, before publishing draft Highways Act and compulsory purchase orders as the necessary preliminary to a public inquiry.
At the time the public consultation was launched last autumn, I discussed the proposals at a special meeting with councillors from the London boroughs concerned and with the chairman of London Docklands Development Corporation. Newham and Waltham Forest have responded to the public consultation and they both support the scheme in principle.