HC Deb 03 April 1984 vol 57 cc461-2W
Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the total number of people employed by local authorities during each year since 1960, and the estimated total for 1984–85.

Mr. Waldegrave

The information requested, apart from an estimate for 1984–85 which we do not make, is as attached.

Local Authority Manpower = England
Full time Part time Full time and part time Full time equivalents
June 1960 1,103,806 336,562 1,440,368 —
June 1961 1,127,027 355,994 1,483,021 —
June 1962 1,161,617 381,467 1,543,084 —
June 1963 1,192,893 407,337 1,600,230 —
June 1964 1,218,435 449,558 1,667,993 —
June 1965 1,241,767 477,237 1,719,004 —
June 1966 1,294,133 514,097 1,808,230 —
June 1967 1,335,835 551,292 1,887,127 —
June 1968 1,361,285 586,953 1,948,238 —
June 1969 1,375,869 623,417 1,999,286 —
June 1970 1,377,476 659,248 2,036,724 —
June 1971 1,410,793 692,591 2,103,384 —
June 1972 1,472,394 732,792 2,205,186 —
June 1973 1,526,549 783,882 2,310,431 —
June 1974 1,492,968 806,356 2,299,324 —
June 1975 1,607,928 861,585 2,469,513 1,946,499
June 1976 1,624,678 857,160 2,481,838 1,963,968
June 1977 1,605,587 853,164 2,458,751 1,944,167
June 1978 1,600,133 868,716 2,468,849 1,943,191
June 1979 1,626,372 886,232 2,512,604 1,975,156
June 1980 1,609,073 865,828 2,474,901 1,951,008
June 1981 1,577,866 843,090 2,420,956 1,914,370
June 1982 1,551,960 840,891 2,392,851 1,887,175
June 1983 1,553,573 851,784 2,405,357 1,892,484

Notes:

(1) Figures for 1960–74 are taken from the Department of Employment Gazette and for 1975–83 from the Local Authority Joint Manpower Watch (which started in 1975). For consistency all figures relate to June of the year concerned.

(2) Figures for 1960–74 include police officers but exclude police civilians, cadets, traffic wardens and agency, magistrates' courts and probation service staff, who are included in figures for later years.

(3) Full-time equivalent figures are not available for 1960–74.

(4) About 20,000 employees were transferred to Passenger Transport Executives between 1969 and 1970.

(5) An estimated net total of 90,000 employees were transferred to Regional Water Authorities, to the National Health Services and to Passenger Transport Executives on 1 April 1974.

(6) The latest available figures (Joint Manpower Watch December 1983 survey) are = 1,547,896 (full time), 872,123 (part time), 2,420,019 (full time + part time), 1,889,507 (full time equivalents).