§ Mr. Anthony Coombsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has considered further the recommendation of the Widdicombe committee for an interim doubling of the limit on expenditure under section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 for metropolitan district and London borough councils.
§ Mr. HowardWe are continuing our consideration of the Widdicombe committee's recommendations on discretionary spending by local authorities. I have, however, already reached the conclusion that this recommendation of the Widdicombe committee did not pay sufficient regard to the wide range of the other discretionary powers available to those local authorities. In many cases, not least in the area of economic development activity, expenditure attributed to section 225W 137 should properly come under another power; and, in particular, section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985 gives a wide new power to metropolitan district and London borough councils, outside the section 137 limit, for grants to voluntary organisations. I do not therefore consider that there should be a change to section 137 of the kind recommended by the Widdicombe committee.