§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will compare current and capital local expenditure in 1978–79 with 1983–84, in actual and percentage terms.
§ Mr. Peter ReesLocal authority expenditure figures for Great Britain were published in the 1984 Public Expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9143). The figures requested are:
1978–79 £ million 1983–84 £ million Percentage increase Local authority current expenditure (Great Britain) 14,102 28,410 101.5 Local authority capital expenditure (Great Britain 3,599 3,829 6.4 Total 17,701 32,239 82.1 The figures for 1983–84 will be updated in the next Public Expenditure White Paper. The capital expenditure figures will be about £400 million higher, as announced in Cmnd. 9323 (Cash limits 1983–84, provisional outturn). Capital expenditure figures in the White Paper are expressed net of sales of council houses and other assets, which have grown considerably since 1978–79.