HC Deb 22 March 1984 vol 56 cc534-5W
Mr. Tony Banks

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the weighted average interest rate, on the loan debt of London boroughs in 1982–83 compared with the Greater London council's; and what are the implications of this for the cost of financing, future capital programmes that will have to be undertaken by the boroughs if the Greater London council is abolished;

(2) if he will publish the outturns of gross revenue expenditure for each class of local authority in England for the years 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82 and 1982–83, respectively;

(3) if he will publish the outtums of gross capital expenditure for each class of local authority in England for the years 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82 and 1982–83, respectively.

Mr. Waldegrave

I shall answer these questions shortly.

Mr. Tony Banks

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish, for the years 1978–79 to 1982–83, the outturns of local authority gross revenue expenditure for England and the proportions of that expenditure financed by (a) domestic ratepayers, (b) domestic relief grant, (c) industrial ratepayers, (d) commercial ratepayers, (e) other non-domestic ratepayers, (f) specific grants, (g) supplementary grants, (h) needs and resources/block grant, (i) housing subsidy, (j) rent rebate grant, (k) rents net of rebate grants, (l) fees and charges, (m) other income and (n) balances.

(Per cent.)
England and Wales England
1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82
Domestic ratepayers 40.9 41.8 42.8 43.2
Industrial ratepayers* 17.5 17.0 16.5 17.5
Commercial ratepayers 28.2 28.0 28.0 28.0
Other non-domestic ratepayers 13.4 13.2 12.7 11.3
* Including public utilities.

Mr. Tony Banks

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West on 16 January, Official Report, column 95, if he will explain the criteria he used to set the level of the inner London discount at 29.6 per cent. and the outer London discount at 17.2 per cent.

Mr. Waldegrave

The inner and outer London resource discount percentages are decided each year, after consultation with the relevant local authority associations and the Greater London council, as part of decisions about the overall distribution of block grant. For 1984–85, after consultation, I decided that the level of discount should be the same as in 1983–84.