HC Deb 12 December 1985 vol 88 cc712-5W
Mr. Marlow

asked the Prime Minister what is the total overall identifiable allocation of public money made by the Government since 1979 to (a) Edinburgh, (b) Bristol, (c) Lambeth, (d) Newcastle, (e) Hammersmith, (f) Cardiff, (g) Haringey, (h) Southampton, (i) Leicester, (j) Leeds, (k) Wandsworth, (l) Belfast and (m) Northampton (i) in total, (ii) per person, (iii) per unemployed person, (iv) per unemployed person aged under 21 years and (v) per retirement pensioner, in each named district.

The Prime Minister

[pursuant to her reply, 28 November 1985, c. 624]The total amount of money allocated by the Government to these areas is very large. It includes social security payments; funding for hospitals, GPs and other health services; aid for employment and training measures; grants to companies, voluntary bodies and other institutions and individuals; and support for the arts.

The extent of these funds is so great, and the number of people and institutions to whom they are allocated is so large, that they cannot be identified without disproportionate cost. There would also be considerable technical problems in attempting to identify them.

However, there is readily available information about the relatively small proportion of total Government spending that takes the form of grants and subsidies paid to local authorities. These include rate support grant, housing subsidies, housing benefit, specific revenue grants and capital grants.

The information is given in the tables which are explained in the notes. Belfast has been excluded because,

Table 1
Identifiable grants and subsidies
(1) In total—£ million (capital grants to English authorities in parentheses)
1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86
(a) Edinburgh 39.7 47.2 49.5 44.7 83.1 68.6 71.6
(b) Bristol 38.2 46.0 26.1 29.3 56.2 54.9 57.5
(0.1) (0.2) (0.3) (0.4) (0.5)
(c) Lambeth 93.5 109.9 104.1 112.1 137.1 136.4 131.9
(3.6) (3.7) (1.4) (0.3) (2.4)
(d) Newcastle upon Tyne 78.9 93.8 75.8 63.1 90.4 91.5 66.2
(1.0) (0.7) (0.8) (0.5) (1.2)
(e) Hammersmith and Fulham 50.8 56.1 56.2 55.4 76.0 74.4 84.3
(2.6) (0.1) (4.3) (2.2) (0.3)
(f) Cardiff 36.8 41.4 25.7 25.2 45.3 51.2 58.4
(g) Haringey 79.9 101.5 102.1 99.3 119.5 112.2 113.7
(3.3) (11.1) (8.9) (4.1) (2.9)
(h) Southampton 21.4 24.3 13.4 14.9 29.3 27.1 29.9
(0.5) (1.0) (0.2) (0.3) (0.4)
(i) Leicester 34.6 39.8 30.5 31.5 48.9 46.9 51.1
(1.8) (2.4) (2.4) (2.0) (3.0)
(j) Leeds 155.7 188.5 156.7 163.9 203.5 202.2 197.2
(0.9) (1.3) (1.0) (4.6) (3.6)
(k) Wandsworth 79.9 90.5 76.5 76.5 103.8 106.2 116.5
(5.1) (2.8) (10.2) (13.2) (13.0)
(m) Northampton 12.6 14.5 11.5 12.0 17.8 17.7 30.9
(3.4) (3.1) (3.9) (1.7) (1.8)
Identifiable grants and subsidies
2) Per person £
5) Per person of pensionable age
1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86
(a) Edinburgh 2) 87 104 111 100 189 156 163
5) 454 535 581 522 967 801 836
(b) Bristol 2) 91 113 65 73 141 139 145
5) 495 592 335 374 733 713 746
(c) Lambeth 2) 315 419 408 452 560 558 540
5) 2,087 2,491 2,399 2,613 3,241 3,278 3,170
(d) Newcastle upon Tyne 2) 267 324 267 225 322 326 236
5) 1,438 1,696 1,363 1,142 1,638 1,677 1,212
(e) Hammersmith and Fulham 2) 295 355 367 371 506 494 559
5) 1,704 1,909 1,937 1,949 2,658 2,666 3,020
(f) Cardiff 2) 130 147 92 90 162 163 208
5) 751 831 511 499 896 1,008 1,149
(g) Haringey 2) 343 458 491 485 584 561 568
5) 2,189 2,819 2,975 2,955 3,632 3,527 3,576
(h) Southampton 2) 99 118 64 72 142 133 147
5) 582 655 361 395 776 723 797
(i) Leicester 2) 119 144 108 112 173 167 182
5) 704 803 612 636 992 947 1,031
(j) Leeds 2) 208 260 219 229 285 284 277
5) 1,212 1,447 1,200 1,253 1,557 1,546 1,508
(k) Wandsworth 2) 277 333 289 296 402 411 452
5) 1,595 1,810 1,548 1,572 2,148 2,246 2,463
(m) Northampton 2) 81 92 73 74 109 106 184
5) 474 543 418 430 649 640 1,116

owing to the different structure of local government in Northern Ireland, comparable data in respect of that city are not available.

Unemployment statistics by local authority areas are not available prior to 1983–84.

Attention is drawn to the discontinuities which result from the change in the rate support grant arrangements for England and Wales in 1981–82 and the introduction of housing benefit payments by DHSS in 1982–83.

Table 3
Identifiable Grants and Subsidies
3) Per unemployed person £
4) Per unemployed person under 20
1983–84 1984–85 1985–86
(a) Edinburgh 3) 3,319 2,588 2,664
4) 12,855 15,628
(b) Bristol 3) 2,257 2,118 2,199
4) 12,950 15,457
(c) Lambeth 3) 5,910 5,488 4,840
4) 35,888 37,022
(d) Newcastle upon Tyne 3) 3,890 3,667 2,567
4) 19,027 14,255
(e) Hammersmith and Fulham 3) 7,094 6,384 6,684
4) 48,677 56,247
(f) Cardiff 3) 2,403 2,609 2,872
4) 13,918 17,268
(g) Haringey 3) 7,764 6,759 6,419
4) 43,376 46,421
(h) Southampton 3) 2,502 2,174 2,246
4) 11,987 13,838
(i) Leicester 3) 2,409 2,267 2,508
4) 14,423 18,068
(j) Leeds 3) 5,075 4,701 4,523
4) 24,731 25,954
(k) Wandsworth 3) 6,821 6,491 6,964
4) 40,417 49,425
(m) Northampton 3) 2,251 2,018 3,564
4) 11,351 23,504

Notes to the tables

Table 1

  1. (a) The figures included for rate support grant for the English authorities and Cardiff are affected by the change which occurred in 1981–82 when block grant and domestic rate relief grant superseded the needs, resources and domestic elements. The figures prior to 1981–82 are not on a comparable basis.
  2. (b) Up to 1982–83 the figures include rent and rate rebates grants paid by the DOE. The 1982–83 figures also include some housing benefits paid by the DHSS. Thereafter, all housing benefits were paid by DHSS.
  3. (c) The figures also include housing subsidies, specific revenue grants and capital grants. Capital grants are not available for English authorities for 1984–85 and 1985–86 and they are excluded from the totals for these years. The figures in brackets show the amounts of capital grants included in the English authority figures up to 1983–84.
  4. (d) The figures include grants and subsidies made to local government only and do not include those made to persons, companies or other organisations. Information on the latter is not readily available. The figures would be very much greater if such payments could be included. Grants made to upper tier authorities within whose areas the towns and boroughs listed are situated are also excluded.
  5. (e) The figures for Edinburgh and Cardiff have been provided by the Scottish and Welsh Offices respectively.

Table 2 The figures are based on population estimates obtained from OPCS for the English authorities and Cardiff and from the General Register Office (Scotland) for Edinburgh. 1984–85 figures have been used as estimates for 1985–86.

Table 3 The figures are based on unemployment data from the Department of Employment. No figures are available before 1983–84. Figures for unemployed persons under 20 have been used in place of those for persons under 21, which are not available. These figures can only he supplied for 1984–85 and 1985–86.