§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the percentage change in targets set for each local authority between (a) 1982–83 and 1984–85 and (b) 1983–84 and 1984–85.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsThe information requested is as follows. It needs to be interpreted with particular care. First, the targets for each year are designed to be achievable by reference to budgeted spending in the previous year. This means that a comparison of targets over a number of years, particularly in the case of the district tier where the discretionary, and often volatile, rate fund contribution to the housing revenue account can 393W figure prominently in budgets, does not provide a good basis for gauging the relative pressure for expenditure savings in different authorities, in different years.
Secondly, the guidance figures for 1983–84 and 1984–85 reflect the varying national insurance surcharge rates payable by local authority employers.
The national insurance surcharge reductions in both 1983–84 and 1984–85 effectively add, on average, about 1 per cent. to the percentage changes shown for the period 1983–84 to 1984–85, and about 2 per cent. to the changes shown for the period 1982–83 and 1984–85.
Percentage change 1982–83 to 1984–85 Percentage change 1983–84 to 1984–85 Alyn & Deeside 2.4 2.9 Colwyn 4.6 -3.8 Delyn 6.3 1.9 Glyndwr 8.1 -1.6 Rhuddlan 5.8 0.0 Wrexham Maelor 7.6 -4.0 Carmarthen 7.9 3.8 Ceredigion 6.9 3.7 Dinefwr 2.8 5.2 Llanellii 11.3 2.4 Preseli 16.4 4.5 South Pembrokeshire 6.4 -2.3 Blaenau Gwent -0.1 -3.9 Islwyn 7.1 -1.8 Monmouth 5.9 -1.4 Newport 7.8 -0.5 Torfaen 14.2 0.4 Aberconwy 7.9 1.3 Arfon 3.2 -1.4 Dwyfor 17.4 2.0 Meirionnydd 7.8 2.1 Ynys Mon 11.7 -6.0 Cynon Valley 0.0 0.4 Merthyr Tydfil 3.5 4.6 Ogwr 6.4 5.2 Rhondda 0.6 -2.5 Rhymney Valley 5.3 4.1 Taff Ely -6.0 -3.8 Brecknock 18.0 27.1 Montgomery 12.4 1.9 Radnor 10.8 0.5 Cardiff 7.1 0.4 Vale of Glamorgan 4.6 1.0 Afan 11.8 4.4 Lliw Valley 4.6 -0.2 Neath 0.7 0.4 Swansea 9.3 -4.3 Clwyd 10.2 3.2 Dyfed 9.3 2.9 Gwent 7.8 3.5 Gwynedd 10.5 3.8 Mid Glamorgan 8.1 3.7 Powys 6.3 0.8 South Glamorgan 8.8 1.6 West Glamorgan 7.8 2.3