§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for the Environment by how much the number of all local government officials has risen or fallen since 1979; and by how much, taking account of inflation, aggregate local government spending has risen in money and percentage terms.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe number of local government employees in England — expressed in full-time equivalents — has fallen by 82,700 or 4.2 per cent. between June 1979 and June 1983. The volume of local authorities' rate fund net current expenditure in England has risen by about £750 million, in 1983–84 prices, or 4 per cent. between 1978–79 outturn and 1983–84 budgets after taking account of changes in pay and prices in the local auhtority sector. In cost terms — that is, after taking account of general inflation as measured by movements in the GDP deflator—local authority current expenditure has risen by 9 per cent. over this period.