§ Mr. Madelasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether, when assessing local authorities' current expenditure for the purposes of rate support grant, he will disregard expenditure incurred in clearing and repairing roads affected by and damaged by adverse weather conditions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. KingIn order to calculate the amount of our proposed grant abatement for 1981–82, we intend to make an exemption in respect of additional expenditure incurred by local authorities as a result of the recent severe weather conditions. We shall let local authorities know our detailed proposals as soon as possible.