HC Deb 16 January 1984 vol 52 c98W
Mr. Tony Banks

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what grounds were the Greater London council's 1984–85 proposals for London rate equalisation rejected.

Mr. Waldegrave

My right hon. Friend considered carefully the Greater London council's substantive proposals for reforming the London rate equalisation scheme. However, he was not convinced that there was sufficient justification to propose changes to the 1983–84 arrangements, beyond repricing by an inflation factor the contributions of the City of London and the City of Westminster.

Mr. Tony Banks

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much rate support grant has been allocated to Greater London in the years 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83 and 1983–84, at 1983–84 estimated outturn prices.

Mr. Waldegrave

Rate support grant payments to authorities in Greater London have been as follows:

£ million
1979–80 1,815.474
1980–81 1,714.999
1981–82 1,364.537
1982–83 1,365.208
1983–84 1,366.023

The arrangements changed in 1981–82, and the figures for earlier years are not comparable with those for 1981–82 onwards. The 1979–80 and 1980–81 figures include needs, resources and domestic elements and are revalued to 1981–82 settlement prices. The figures for 1981–82 onwards include block grant, after holdback, and domestic rate relief grant, and are in cash terms. (The 1983–84 figure includes a small element of grant paid to the receiver for the Metropolitan Police in respect of those parts of the Metropolitan Police district outside the Greater London area).