§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations have been made to date on the Government's proposals outlined in the White Paper, "Streamlining the Cities", Cmnd. 9063; and of these how many have expressed opposition to the abolition of the Greater London Council and the metropolitan county councils.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI have received about 800 representations so far, expressing a wide variety of general and detailed views.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the representations made to the Government about the proposed abolition of the Greater London Council and the metropolitan county councils.
§ Mr. WaldegraveNo. I have received about 800 representations, and to provide a list of the points made in them would be disproportionately costly.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many officials, and at what grade, are employed in the team headed by Mr. Roger Bright in his Department who have been given the task of putting over the Government's case for abolition of the Greater London council and the metropolitan county councils.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) on 22 December 1983. [Vol. 51, c. 350–1.] The four officials, whose work covers the range of policies affecting local government, are graded at senior principal, higher executive officer (D), clerical officer and personal secretary level. They are working in the usual co-ordination with the Department's information directorate.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment why he is not proposing to abolish the shire counties and in their place establish joint board arrangements and consultative committees between existing non-metropolitan district councils.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 1.7 and 1.8 of the White Paper "Streamlining the Cities" (Cmnd. 9063) published in October 1983.