§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the environment if he will publish the overall average unrebated domestic rate bill paid by householders in (a) England and (b) England and Wales in each year since 1966–67.
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§ Mr. RidleyThe latest available figures are those for April 1986 provided by local authorities in their 1986 housing investment programme returns.
§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the total number of homes which he estimates were available to rent in England (a) from local authorities, (b) from housing organisations, (c) from other public authorities, (d) from private landlords and (e) in total in each of the years from 1957 to 1987 respectively.
§ Mr. RidleyThe available estimates are:
§ Mr. RidleyThe estimated figures are as follows :
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Average (unrebated) domestic rate bills1 England England and Wales £ £ 1966–67 41 40 1967–68 41 41 1968–69 42 42 1969–70 44 44 1970–71 47 46 1971–72 54 53 1972–73 61 60 1973–74 66 66 2 1974–75 77 74 1975–76 94 92 1976–77 103 100 1977–78 119 116 1978–79 131 128
England England and Wales £ £ 1979–80 155 152 1980–81 199 195 1981–82 245 239 1982–83 282 276 1983–84 303 296 1984–85 323 316 1985–86 351 344 1986–87 401 392 1987–883 428 419 Notes:
1 Average unrebated rate bills are derived from average domestic rateable values per hereditament and the average domestic rate poundages levied by local authorities.
2 Figures up to 1973–74 arc not compatible with those for 1974–75 and later years. This is due to the change of local authorities' responsibilities in 1974, in particular the transfer of water and sewarage services from local authorities to water authorities.
3 The figures for 1987–88 are provisional.
§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the accumulated reduction in rate support grant since 1978–79 in England at 1987–88 prices breaking down the figures between (a) 1978–79 and 1979–80,(b)1979–80 and 1980–81, (c) 1978–79 and 1981–82, (d) 1978–79 and 1982–83, (e) 1978–79 and 1983–84, (f) 19781–79 and 1984–85, (g) 1978–79 and 1985–86, (h) 1978–79 and 1986–87 and (i) 1978–79 and 1987–88.
§ Mr. RidleyThe accumulated reduction in rate support grant since 1978–89 in England at 1987–88 prices is £3,896–2 million. The figures are broken down in the way requested in the following table:
£ million (a) 535.1 (b) 658.0 (c) 1,337.5 (d) 2,127.9 (e) 2,550.2 (f) 2,971.4 (g) 3,538.7 (h) 3,958.6 (i) 3,896.2 Notes:
(i) For 1978–79 to 1980–81 rate support grant comprised needs and resources elements and domestic rate relief grant.
(ii) From 1981–82, rate support grant comprises block grant and domestic rate relief grant.
(iii) Rate support grant for the years 1978–79 to 1982–83 are final entitlements. Domestic rate relief grant for 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1985–86 are also final entitlements; those for 1986–87 and 1987–88 are first estimates. Block grant figures for 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1985–86 are entitlements after hold-back based upon provisional outturn; those for 1986–87 and 1987–88 are entitlements based on budgets.
(iv) Figures are expressed in 1987–88 prices using the DGP deflator.
§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the amount of rate support grant paid in each of the years from 1978–79 to 1987–88, estimated, expressed in constant 1987–88 prices, to (a) each London borough, (b) each metropolitan district, (c) the Inner London education authority, (d) each of the former metropolitan counties and the Greater London council to 1985–86, (e) each non-metropolitan county, (f) each non-metropolitan district and (g) each of the metropolitan joint boards, showing also in each year the total paid to the respective classes of authorities.
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§ Mr. RidleyThe figures requested have been placed in the Library. The basis for payment of rate support grant was changed in 1981. Figures for 1979–80–1980–81 are therefore not comparable with later years. In particular, prior to 1981, non-metropolitan counties received needs elements only, non-metropolitan districts received resources element and domestic rate relief grant only. No RSG was paid to metropolitan counties or precepting authorities in London.
§ Dr. Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what, assuming the full replacement of rates by the community charge and the implementation of the proposals in Paying for Local Government" (Cmnd. 9714), for non-domestic rates and the grant system, in 1987–88 (a) for England, (b) for each class of local authority and (c) for each local authority, showing precepting authorities separately what the following items in £ per adult would be (i) the community charge without safety net, (ii) the safety net, (iii) needs grant, (iv) standard grant and (v) redistributed non-domestic rate revenue, showing also the corresponding 1987–88 domestic rate poundage and, in £ per adult, the average rate bill and local authority expenditure;
(2) what, assuming the full replacement of rates by the community charge and the implementation of the proposals in "Paying for Local Government" (Cmnd. 9714), for non-domestic rates and the grant system, in 1987–88, what the national non-domestic rate poundage would be in England and for each authority, and the percentage difference between the actual non-domestic poundage and the national non-domestic rate poundage.
§ Mr. RidleyI have today placed in the Library figures exemplifying community charges and non-domestic rates had the Government's proposals for the reform of local finance been fully in place in 1987–88.
I must repeat the warning given by my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Chope) when publishing equivalent figures for 1986–87 on 1 April c. 547. These figures are not a prediction of community charges in 1990. They are based entirely on expenditure returns made by local authorities at the start of this financial year. They make no allowance for the distortion of those figures by technical accounting arrangements nor for the extent to which rates this year are being funded from balances or special funds and vice versa. They are based on 1987–88 grant levels and needs assessments, although final decisions have yet to be taken on the size and operation of the new grant arrangements and on the transition to the new system. Nor do the figures take account of the changes in local authority responsibilities foreshadowed in the manifesto, particularly the arrangements for inner London boroughs to opt out of ILEA, proposed changes to housing finance, or the impact of the extended use of competitive tendering in the more efficient provision of local services. But, above all, these figures make no allowance for changes in the level of a local authority's expenditure between now and 1990. However, they clearly illustrate the importance of high spending authorities starting now to identify economies and of those who live in those authorities insisting that they do so.
The figures for changes in non-domestic rate poundages do not take account of the amendments for the five-year transitional period which I have already announced.
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§ Mr. Battleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the impact of the proposed community charge in the Leeds, West constituency, Surrey, South-West constituency and Richmond (Yorks) constituency.
§ Mr. HowardI refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) earlier today.
§ Mrs. Mahonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will produce exact figures to show what each adult in Halifax will pay with the introduction of the poll tax.
§ Mr. HowardNo. Since the new system will not come into effect until 1990, it is not possible to say what the level of the community charge in Halifax will be when it is introduced. However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) earlier today.
§ Mrs. Mahonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will pay a visit to Halifax to discuss the effect of the introduction of the poll tax.
Water authorities: Average household bills Water authority 1979–80 £. p. 1980–81 £. p. Per cent. 1981–82 £. p. Per cent. 1982–83 £. p. Per cent. 1983–84 £. p. Per cent. 1984–85 £. p. Per cent. 1985–86 £. p. Per cent. 1986–87 £. p. Per cent. 1987–88 £. p. Per cent. Cumulative over 1979–80 Per cent. Combined all services North West 37.90 46.80 23.5 54.69 16.9 59.86 9.7 63.16 5.5 68.25 8.1 77.57 13.7 85.19 9.8 91.12 7.0 140.4 Northumbrian 33.94 41.95 23.6 49.19 17.3 56.86 16.0 64.52 13.5 75.22 16.6 80.38 6.9 84.34 4.9 88.63 5.1 161.1 Severn Trent 40.51 48.99 20.9 56.78 15.9 62.44 7.4 64.63 3.5 67.88 5.0 76.16 12.2 83.55 9.7 89.53 7.2 121.0 Yorkshire 39.36 49.04 24.6 57.21 16.7 65.30 14.1 68.78 5.3 72.64 5.6 82.30 13.3 90.96 10.5 97.72 7.4 148.3 Anglian 48.83 63.01 29.0 75.08 19.2 82.66 11.9 87.80 6.2 93.96 7.0 105.98 12.8 116.69 10.1 124.03 6.3 15.40 Thames 38.62 47.82 23.8 54.47 13.9 60.77 13.5 66.74 9.8 73.41 7.6 80.75 10.0 83.09 2.9 87.74 5.6 127.2 Southern 43.80 56.60 29.2 67.00 18.4 74.40 11.0 79.20 6.5 83.84 5.9 93.76 11.8 102.78 9.6 109.10 6.1 149.1 Wessex 57.22 65.44 14.4 72.87 11.4 78.49 7.5 81.56 3.9 85.59 4.9 95.35 11.4 107.09 12.3 114.45 6.9 100.0 South West 54.57 66.72 22.3 75.22 12.7 81.24 8.6 87.96 8.3 93.48 6.3 104.59 11.9 110.90 6.0 116.08 4.7 112.7 English water authorities 41.47 51.37 23.9 59.47 15.8 66.01 11.11 70.92 7.4 75.73 6.8 84.56 11.7 91.25 7.9 97.18 6.5 134.3